The Girl Unknown
by IceLucy
Summary: Natsu and his team are on their back home from a quest when they suddenly come across a city in shambles. When they arrive, they stumble across a short mysterious girl, who ends up saving them from harm. Little do they know, she holds a secret that could shatter Fairy Tail. (Gray/OC, and other ships) (HIATUS).
1. Chapter 1

**A couple notes before the story begins… 1). Everyone is about 22-24 years old. 2). There will be a few OC here and there. 3). There is hints of romance! Just be patient! and 4). Please enjoy :D**

* * *

Gray sighed in exhaustion. "I can't believe it took us that long to finish that stupid quest. If it wasn't for this flamed idiot, we'd been done since a while back."

"Shut it Ice Princess. I did what I had to okay? You didn't have an idea what to do either." Natsu growled back. "I didn't see you do anything anyways."

"You wanna fight Flame Brain?" Gray clutched his vest and Natsu grabbed his shirt.

"Let's go Princess!"

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Erza bellowed from the bottom of her lungs. She pinched both of the boys' ears and pulled them. "All you boys' have been doing this whole time is whine and I'm sick of it. If I hear another word from you two, you'll have to face the consequences. Understand?"

In unison, Gray and Natsu hugged each other in fear and replied back nervously. "Yes Ma'am! We got it!"

Lucy and Happy laughed hysterically. Lucy took a big gulp of air and relaxed. "Gosh, that never gets old!"

"Well, we all need to settle down. We are heading into a city. Everyone must be on their best behaviors. Demanded Erza. "We've caused enough trouble as it is, so let us refrain from doing so."

Team Natsu walked their way into the city. Soon enough they were greeted with a burnt sign barely making out the words "Welcome to Scorpio". Once they reached the inner parts of Scorpio, the smell of smoke and burnt wood filled the air.

"Hey you guys! Get over here!" The team looked over to the left and there was a terrified man waving toward them. They ran to him and the man signaled for them to enter the building. As soon as they entered, he shut the door and relaxed his shoulder. "You guys are crazy for being out there! The city has gone mad!"

"What's going on sir?" Lucy questioned.

"It's hard to say. Everything in this city was fine this morning until the soldiers told us to make our way back into our homes. They said that someone was going to attack the city. Sure enough, it was true. Buildings all over the town started bursting into flames and the ground started shaking. It's some kind of war out there. That's all I know."

Natsu gave him a big smile and comforted the man. "Don't fear old man! We are here to help ya out!"

"Aye Sir!" Happy agreed and flew up next to Natsu.

The man's eyes perked up. "Really? You'll help the City of Scorpio out? I don't have anything to give you as a reward…"

Erza placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "A reward isn't necessary. Our main concern is the safety of the citizens."

The man fell to his knees and cried tears of happiness. "Thank you so much Fairy Tail Wizards!" He stood back up and opened the front door. "Okay so here's the thing, the main action is in the center of the town. So you'll go out the door and make a left. Whatever you do, avoid trouble at all costs. It's best if you move through the alleyways. Good luck Fairies!"

The team left the building and vanished into dark alleys.

* * *

"I think we are here right?" Gray scratched his head in confusion.

"I believe so, but who knows." Lucy responded nervously.

Erza scanned the area. "Hm. Natsu, can you smell anything here?"

"I don't know. Let me check." Natsu Took in a big whiff of the cloudy air around him and coughed. "Nothing. Just smoke." Natsu's eyes flared up. "Wait. I smell people." He pointed to the direction right in front of him.

Suddenly a group of men appeared right in front of the Team. It was about an army of about 20 men, who were wearing gray with gold trimmed armor with a diamond shaped crest across the armor, except for one. The other man was wearing white armor with black trimming and had the same crest across his armor.

"Excuse us sir but what us going on?" Lucy spoke up. She took a couple steps forward, but the men raised up their spears towards her.

Natsu and Gray stood in between Lucy, protecting her from the men. "Watch where you point that! We aren't an enemy." Natsu cried out in anger.

The knight in white unsheathed his sword and pointed it to the Team. "Hand over the girl and no one has to die."

"Huh? Girl? What girl?" Gray responded in confusion. The Team looked at each other and shrugged. "Look man, we don't know what you're talking about. We haven't seen a girl around."

The man gave his men a signal and they all crowded around the Team with their spears pointed towards them. "This is your last chance." The knight demanded. "Give us the girl now."

Erza spoke out in desperation. "We do not have a girl! Listen to us please!"

"Screw this! FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Natsu roared out. Just as he took a deep breathe, he stopped. "Crap. I've got nothing."

"What do you mean Natsu?" Happy asked.

"Someone in the group has Canceling Magic. Until we figure out who it is, we have to use our fists to fight."

"I'm afraid it's time for you meet your death." The knight raised his sword. Just as he was going to give the sign to execute the Team, a small, sturdy dagger flew by and knocked the knight's sword from his hand. The knight gasped in fear and glanced up at the top of one of the buildings.

"She's there! Get her!" He pointed to the building and there stood a girl. Half of the men ran to catch her from the top, the other half stayed guarding the knight. "I want her now. Don't let her escape at any costs!"

The girl laughed and somersaulted off the building. Just before she landed, she shrieked. "JUMP NOW!" She ordered.

Without hesitation, Team Natsu leaped into the air. Just as they left the ground, the girl's fist made contact with the ground, making an enormous cracking noise. The men froze and shouted in terror. After several seconds passed, they collapsed. Their armor was smeared with black soot and smoke was seeping out from it. The group of men looked as if they had been fried to death.

The girl stood up and faced towards the men. She wiped her mouth with her arm and glanced over to the Team and winked at them. "Sorry I had to get you into this, but this is my fight."


	2. Chapter 2

Natsu's hands combusted into flames. "Hey we'll help you out here."

"No. This isn't your fight." The girl demanded. "It's not for you wizards to be involved with."

Gray snorted in sarcasm. "What's a five foot, 100lbs girl going to do against 10 men that weigh about 165?"

The girl laughed and the men came swarming to her. "Don't worry about me. I should be the least of your problems." She unsheathed a small dagger from her back and positioned herself in fighting stance. "Let's talk later. I'll lead these guys away from you."

"But can you handle them all alone?" Erza questioned in worry.

"This is nothing, I'll be fine. Besides they aren't after you." The girl launched herself towards the group of men. "Wait for me at the entrance of the city!"

The first man she came in contact to, with the butt of the dagger, she smashed in into the soldier's helmet. He groaned in pain and fell to the floor. Several men leaped towards her, but she managed to dodge their attacks and run off in the opposite direction from the Team.

"What about the other wizards?" Called out a guard from the group. "We can't just leave them here."

Another guard came back and pulled him away. "Stupid! Weren't you listening?! He wants the girl, not the wizards. Let's go after her." They ran off and left the Team standing.

Lucy scrunched up her eyes and tiled her head. "I wonder who she is. She seems awfully confident for a little girl."

"She has got to be at least 15. There's no way she is older." Erza crossed her arms in confidence.

Lucy shook her head. "Is it smart for us to leave her alone against those guys? I mean, she looks as light as a feather."

Natsu walked over to the fallen soldiers. "Considering she took out all these men in one go, I think she'll be fine." He scratched his head and began to think.

"Let's rendezvous with her back at the entrance. She should be fine." Gray began to walk and everyone else followed closely behind.

* * *

Erza paced back and forth impatiently. She looked into the city and was tempted to run in. "It's been 45 minutes now. Where could she be?"

"She said she was gonna be here. Cut her some slack. She's up against 10 guys." Lucy assured her.

Erza sat down on the floor and slouched. "I know, but it is all I can think about! What if she's hurt?!"

Gray interrupted and pointed to Scorpio. "She made it guys."

Everyone swiveled their heads. Coming towards them was the girl that they ran into. She had her hair in a ponytail. The color of her hair was an ombre style, making the brown and blonde hair intertwine with each other. Also, she wore a white v-neck shirt with ¾ sweats pants. Over her shirt she had two leather straps that crossed and laid on her chest. One was for the sword that rested against her back and the other was for the small dagger. And to top it off, she was laced in a pair of sky blue Roshes. She was about 5 foot 2 inches in height and mostly likely weighed no more than 105lbs.

"Sorry for being late. Had to take care of those pesky guys." The girl raised her arms up to the sky and stretched her back. "It was such a pain, but I got it done."

Natsu narrowed his eyes cautiously. "Who are you? What's your name? Why were those men after you?"

The girl threw her hands up in front of her body. "Woah, Woah, Woah. Am I being interrogated here or what?"

Erza stepped in. "I'm sorry about Natsu here. Are you alright? You seem to have a couple injuries." Erza pointed to her cheek.

The girl touched her cheek and noticed she had blood trickling from it. "It's nothing but a scratch. I'll be fine, but thanks for asking."

"Well I'm glad that you're all fine. So please, tell us your name."

"My name is Lauren. Lauren Guerrero. It's nice to meet you all." She smiled and waved to the Team.

"My name's Erza Scarlet. This is Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster, Natsu Dragneel, and Happy." The Team shyly waved back and gave weak smiles. They all looked away in awkwardness. "If I may ask, why were those guys chasing after you?"

Lauren looked away and bit her lower lip. "Let's just say that I've caused lots of trouble along the way."

Natsu gave her a big smile. "Hey! She sounds exactly like us!"

Gray smacked him upside Natsu's head. "Idiot. That's not a good thing."

"So Lauren, where are headed off to now?" Erza questioned her eagerly.

Lauren brought her hand up to her forehead and closed her eyes. "I'm not real sure if I remember the name, but I think the place was called Magnolia? I need to head up there for some business."

"We know where that is! We'll be gladly to take you there!" Lucy exclaimed in ecstasy. "Why don't you join us? We will take you there!"

Happy flew over to Lauren and grabbed her hand. "Yeah! Come follow us! I'm pretty sure you need help getting there! Am I right?"

Lauren gave an uneasy look. "Are you sure it's okay with your leader?" She looked at Erza.

"Of course. We'd be happy if you joined us." Erza nodded.

Lauren responded. "Thanks so much you guys! I really appreciate the help!"

"Let's get a move on! Or we will be late for the train!" Natsu blurted out. He ran off and Happy chased after him.

"What an idiot. Slow down Flame Brain!" Gray shouted after him and ran.

The girls laughed and walked at their own pace.

* * *

The Team had been sitting in the train for about 3 hours. Natsu was hunched over a window, violently puking his guts out. The others were sitting in their seats. Lucy was reading a book and Happy was soundly asleep on her lap.

"Is he okay?" Lauren pointed to Natsu.

"Pyro Maniac here gets motion sickness easily. It's one of the consequences of being a dragon slayer." Gray crossed his arms.

"Oh I see. He's a dragon slayer huh?" Lauren's voice trailed off.

"Yep. We have 3 other dragon slayers back at the guild." Lucy butted in. "There's Laxus, Wendy, and Gajeel."

"That's pretty crazy! Ya'll must be a very powerful guild."

Erza laughed. "Thank you for the compliment. It is always nice to hear that. So anyways, what magic do you specialize in?"

"I specialize in shadow magic."

"Oh so you use the same magic as Rogue, but you're not a dragon slayer." Gray spoke. "That's pretty neat!"

"That's something. I can't believe I almost have the same magic as a dragon slayer!" Lauren leaned back in her seat and sighed.

"Wait." Lucy lowered her book. "But when we were at Scorpio, you fried the soldiers. If I know one thing, that isn't shadow magic."

Lauren smiled. "Well, lately I've been picking up on a new magic. I've been practicing electricity.

"Well, wouldn't that be lightning?" Erza asked.

"That is true, but the one I'm using is not as powerful as lightning itself. I only was able to use it because the guys were stepping in water. You guys weren't, but I still asked ya'll to jump 'cause I didn't want to risk it."

"How interesting." Erza added. "Well what's the business you have in Magnolia?"

Lauren's expression got serious. She looked out the window and took a deep breath. "I'm looking for someone and something. I'm not sure where they are, but someone had mentioned to me that they could've been in Magnolia. So I decided to see for myself."

"How brave of you." Lucy patted Lauren's head. "Are you sure it's okay with your parents?"

"I was an orphan. My parents died in some freak accident a couple days after I was born."

The Team got quiet and hung their heads in uneasiness. It got so silent that all you could hear was Natsu's complaints and the train moving on the tracks.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. I apologize for asking."

Lauren shook her head and grinned. "No worries! It happened long ago."

"How long ago?" Gray responded. "How old are you?"

"I'm 23."

Erza, Lucy and Gray's faces dropped in shock. They responded in unison. "BUT YOU LOOK SO YOUNG!"

"You aren't the first to tell me." Lauren chuckled. "It's annoying at first, but I get used to it. It sucks because when I want to go relax at a bar or something, I'm not allowed in. Everyone just asks me for identification."

"You're the same age as us. Only Erza is about a year older than us." Lucy replied.

"Finally! People who are the same age as me!"

Suddenly the train began to slow down and an announcement was made over the intercom.

"NEXT STOP MAGNOLIA! AGAIN, NEXT STOP MAGNOLIA."

"Finally…" Croaked Natsu is agony. "I get to leave… this stupid train."

Erza and the rest of the team, including Lauren, began to gather their personal belongings. As soon as the train stopped, everyone exited the train and paced towards the heart of Magnolia.

"You're leaving us already?" Cried Happy. "But you're the coolest person ever!"

"I wish I could stay longer, but I'm awfully busy." She replied as she began to pet Happy. "Maybe if I run into you guys throughout these next couple of days, we should really hang out or go out for some dinner."

"Better make that a promise or else." Erza joked around.

"It's a promise Erza!"

Lucy and Erza gave her a hug and Gray and Natsu shook her hand. Lauren turned her heels and started to walk away. Natsu suddenly sprinted a couple yards and came to a stop.

"HEY LAUREN WAIT UP!" He roared from the bottom of his lungs.

Lauren just glanced back and stared at him.

"YOU NEVER TOLD US WHAT GUILD YOU WERE FROM."

"I'M NOT IN A GUILD. WHY DO YOU ASK?" she called back.

Natsu ran up to her, gripped her wrist, and brought her back to where everyone else was standing. "Come join our guild! You'll love it!"

"Aye!" Shouted Happy. "Please!"

"I don't think I can." She shook her head. "I need to focus right now."

"Well, were are you going to get all your Jewels from?"

Lauren tapped her pocket. "I have enough right now."

"But what will you do when it all runs out?" Asked Lucy. "What then?"

"Then I'll figure it out then."

"Come on Lauren join us!" Pleaded Natsu. He got down on his knees and grabbed her hand. "Pleaaasseeeee? You can go out on quests, earn Jewels, and hopefully run into the person you were looking for."

Erza hit him in the head with her hand. "That's enough Natsu! As much as we want her with us, we have to respect her respect her decision." She looked at Lauren. "I apologize once again."

"No it's fine. On another note, I actually have to ask one last question before I go. Do you know where the Fairy Tail guild is?"

Just as Gray was going to respond, Natsu brought is hand to his mouth and shut him up. "Yeah we know where it is! We will take you there! Consider it our parting gift."

"Natsu…" Erza growled, but was cut off by Happy.

"Yeah we know where that is! It's just right around the corner! Follow us!" Happy flew up to the sky and disappeared.

Natsu grabbed Lauren's arm and pulled her as he was running. "LET'S GO! WE HAVE NO TIME TO WASTE!"

They vanished into a crowd of people. Erza, Gray and Lucy sighed in defeat.

"What a loser. I wonder what will happen next." Gray finally spoke.

The three of them headed off to the guild, not knowing what was yet to come.


	3. Chapter 3

"Come on Lauren! We'd love to have you!" Natsu begged.

"I don't know… I don't think I'm ready to hop right back into a guild." Lauren responded uneasily.

Mira walked over and joined in. "How many guilds have you been in?"

"Just 3, but I didn't stay for very long though. I was kind of jumping around before I decided that it wasn't my thing. I'd rather be alone."

Cana threw her arm around Lauren and sipped on her booze. "Don't be a sore loser! You don't have to join us. You can give it a try if you want. If it doesn't work out then you can just leave."

"I'll have to think about it." Lauren replied. "Besides, I don't want to be a bother."

"Having someone join us is never bothersome, in fact, it's such an honor!" Giggled Mira.

Lauren crossed her arms and began to think. Her eyes wandered off and scanned the guild hall. "I want to talk to your Guild master if you don't mind."

"No problem!" Cana turned to Elfman. "Go get Makarov. He should be in his office."

"Wait. Take me there to him. I want to talk to him myself." Lauren Demanded as she proceeded to follow Elfman.

Everyone looked at each other dumbfounded.

"Why is that?" Natsu questioned. "If you do that then I don't think he'll let you in."

"I wasn't trying to join. I'm only going to try it out." Snapped Lauren.

Everyone crowded around her and cheered. Cana hugged her and Mira smiled. Elfman slapped Lauren's back and she jolted forward.

"Alright! Let's get you to Makarov! So now, you can become a real man just like the rest of us!" Elfman gave Lauren a thumbs up. She gave Elfman a confused look.

Elfman left and Lauren followed close behind. The other members of Fairy Tail scattered back to their usual places. Natsu sat at the bar Mira was. He sighed and rested his head on the counter.

"That's awfully weird of you to do that."

Natsu brought his head up. "What do you mean Mira?"

"You were super happy to bring that girl in here. Do you like her or something? I don't think Lucy would like that…" Mira teased.

Natsu blushed. "No it's not like that! But for some reason, she has a special vibe to her."

"A special vibe? Like what?"

"Don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out." Natsu lowered his voice and motioned Mira to come closer. "Don't tell anyone, but when the Team and I ran into her at some city, she easily defeated 10 men in a blow."

Mira raised an eyebrow. "And why's that a secret?"

"The thing is, she claims to use Shadow magic, but she also said that she's learning how to use Electricity, which is fancy for Lightning Magic. To me, that sounds kinda weird."

"Kids nowadays are picking up two types instead of just one. Although they won't be as strong as just having a single one, I think it's perfectly normal for a girl her age."

"Mira, she's 23." Natsu narrowed his eyes.

"I would have never guessed!" Mira boomed out laughter. "Even so, I've met a couple mages who are in their 20's and 30's who have two types. If I were you Natsu, I would just leave it be. It's best if you mind your own business."

Natsu slouched once again and pouted. "I don't know what it is, but she's definitely hiding something."

"Who's hiding something?" Lucy sat down right next to him.

Natsu sprang up from his chair and nervously laughed. "No one… Heh. Just thinking to myself."

"Where did Lauren go?" Gray added. "Did she leave?"

"As a matter of fact, she's talking to Master right now as we speak." Mira smiled.

"Already? So Natsu did manage to talk her into it. I'm very surprised." Erza patted Natsu's back. "I can finally tell you that you did a job well done."

"What's that supposed to mean Erza?! She ain't joining okay? She's said it's only temporary, but at least she's gonna stay. Better than nothing if you ask me."

"Aye Sir!"

Lauren suddenly walked out from the Master's office and caught a glimpse of the Team. She confidentially strolled to them and took a seat next to Natsu. She ordered a glass of beer from Mira and waited patiently for it to come. The other formed a circle around her and awaited for her next move.

Lucy was the first to break the silence. "So what he say Lauren? Are you going to stay for a while?"

Mira brought Lauren her ice cold beer and set it right in front of her. Lauren then angrily clutched the cup and chugged it all at once. "I guess I need to pack my things and find a place here." She burped and ordered another glass. "I might as well celebrate now huh?"

"Shouldn't you slow down on the booze? You'll end up like Cana over there. Drunk and useless. " Said Gray.

Mira brought another glass to Lauren. "Fortunately, I can tell myself when to stop." She gulped about half the glass. "Anyways, the old man said I can stay for a while, just until I find what I'm looking for. But after that, I either join the guild or I have to leave. Now I just have to go back to my town and pack somethings, as well as find a place here."

"You can dorm at Fairy Hills if you'd like." Erza added.

Lucy interrupted Erza. "Or you can stay at my place!"

Lauren swallowed the last portion of the golden brew. "I really appreciate the offers, but I need to find a place of my own. I'll be in and out and I have things to tend to."

Natsu stood up on the bar counter and shouted in happiness. "With that being said… WELCOME TO FAIRY TAIL!"

The guild erupted in cheer and mages gathered around Lauren to give her hugs and high-fives. Lauren had a nervous expression, but it soon changed. She smiled to everyone and gave her thanks.

"Alright guys, I'm off to my hometown." Lauren stood up and marched towards the guild's doors.

"Hold on! You just got here. Shouldn't you rest a bit first? Why not just go tomorrow?" Happy called out to her.

"Nope!" Lauren waved to everyone. "The sooner the better. I'll be back by tomorrow so no worries."

Erza took several steps towards her. "Do you need an assistance with your belongings? We will be glad to help."

"No thank you, I got this. I'm only going to bring clothes with me. I don't have much to begin with so I'll be alright."

"You don't even have an apartment! What about your bed and other things?"

"I'll look for one along the way to the station and I'll rough it out for the next couple days until I get one. It's not like I'm permanently moving here, remember?" She unlocked the doors to the guild and exited silently.

Makarov came out of his office and sat up on a chair near the others. Natsu ran up to him and began to shout in his face.

"Hey Master! So what did Lauren say? Is she joining or she only staying for a bit?"

"Sadly, whatever is said in my office cannot be shared with others. The only thing I will say is that we will welcome her with open arms, no matter what the situation is."

"Are we giving her a guild mark?"

"No. She is only going to be with us temporarily. I don't know how long, but she cannot bear the mark until she decides to do so. We are only helping her out for the time being."

Natsu slammed his fists on the nearest table.

 _What the heck_ , Natsu pondered. _What is her deal? Better yet, who is she?_


	4. Chapter 4

**-Two Months Later-**

"Could you shut your mouth for at least like 3 seconds? You're annoying the butt out of me!" Lauren growled ferociously.

Gray snapped at her back. "Mind your own business will ya?! I never invited you into this conversation!"

"Keep the noise level down at least. All you do is pick fights with Natsu. Don't you have better things to do with your life?"

"The things that I do are way more important than your life!" Gray scolded harshly.

Lauren turned her back away from Gray. "What a loser…" She muttered quietly.

"What was that?"

Lauren glanced back at Gray and shot him a fake smile. "Oh nothing!"

Lauren stomped her away and Gray slouched in his chair. _Sheesh. What's her deal? She's annoying as always._

"Gray Fullbuster! May I have a word with you?" Makarov motioned to him.

"Sure Gramps what's up?"

"There is a special mission The Magic Council needs for us Fairy Tail to go out on. Here are the details." Makarov handed him the quest page and Gray began to read immediately. "A rather strange guild is hosting a party, but it is suspected that the man behind the party is said to be a part of the dark guild, Shadowfall. I'm not sure if it is them or not, but we need to know now and what exactly they plan to do."

Gray folded the paper and shoved it in his pocket. "What does that have to do with me? Why not Erza or Natsu?"

"Erza attracts too much attention and Natsu causes too much trouble. You on the other hand, are calm and collected. I think you are perfect for the job. Just don't strip okay?"

"Thanks Gramps. You can count on me!"

Makarov smiled and pointed to a short girl in blonde and brown hair. "By the way, Lauren will be joining you so let her know right away. You two will depart first thing tomorrow morning."

"WHAT?! LAUREN?!" Gray roared in frustration. "WHY OF ALL PEOPLE?!"

"She uses Shadow magic and no one knows who she is. She's perfect for the job as well."

Gray fell to his knees and begged. "Can't someone else just tag along? Cana? Wendy? Mirajane?"

"I'm afraid Wendy is too young, Cana would get distracted by the booze, and Mira is too well known. I've already decided on Lauren. I know you guys don't fancy each other one bit but I ask politely, if you would, to set aside whatever issues you have and complete this quest." With his hand, Makarov shooed Gray away. "Now be gone child."

.

.

.

Lauren slammed her hands against the wooden table. "WHAT?! THERE'S NO WAY I'M GOING WITH YOU!"

"You don't have a choice. Gramps said so himself." Gray handed the paper to Lauren. "Read over this."

"I'm not reading anything. I refuse to go with someone who is annoying and stupid looking."

"What did you say!? You think I want to go with you? Whatever Master says go so there's no point in arguing."

Lauren read over the paper and crumpled it up in her hand. "I'm still not going."

"What's your deal?! WE need that!" Gray swiped the destroyed paper from her hand and attempted to unwrinkled it. "Quit acting like idiot Flame Brain and deal with it."

"YOU need it, besides, I'd rather go solo than be with you. You'd just slow me down."

Gray moved close to Lauren, grabbed the collar of her shirt, and whispered coldly. "Look here midget. WE are going on this quest, whether you like it or not. Makarov expects us to go and anyone who defies him will suffer the consequences." He shoved the paper in her face and pointed towards the reward. "You see this? The reward is higher than usual. I don't know about you, but I want that money and I know that you do too. So when we do this quest, don't do it for me, but do it for the money. Got it?"

Lauren stood there blown away at the words Gray spat at her. She jerked away from him and stared at the sheet of paper. Lauren then rolled her eyes and snatched the paper from him. "Fine. When do we leave for this dumb quest?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"WHAT?! SO SOON?!" Lauren's heels turned and sprinted to the door. "I'LL SEE YOU TOMMORROW!"

Gray waved in confusion. _Why did she get worked up over that? Women… sheesh…_

Gray sat down at an empty table and a woman in scarlet hair approached him. "I see you guys were getting cozy back there."

"What?! No! It wasn't like that! She was acting like a little girl and wouldn't shut up." Gray blushed and hid his face.

Erza teased and poked his arm. "Sure you were Mr. Tough Guy. I bet you were confessing."

"Shut your trap!" Gray howled in anger. "I'd never be with a low life girl like her!"

Everyone in the guild went silent and all eyes were on Gray. He slid down in his seat hoping he would go unnoticed. Erza crossed her arms and clicked her tongue.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. I'm disappointed in you. That was very harsh."

"I'm sorry okay? It's just… I can't stand her like 99% of the time."

Erza sat down in front of him at the old wooden table. "Why don't you guys like each other? Like, what is it that made you all hate each other?"

Gray pondered on his thoughts for a bit before responding right away. "I'm not sure. A couple of days after she decided to stay with us, she started gave me the cold shoulder. And sure enough, I was doing the same. Now that I think about it, I really don't know."

"See you guys should just talk it out. You guys could be good friends! You both have a lot in common."

Gray snorted in disgust. "As if. I could never be friends with her."

"Then why were you guys so close to each other just now?" Erza replied and gave Gray a quick wink.

"Honestly, you need to stop saying that. It's nothing like that. Gramps wanted us to head out on a mission to a city where some dark guild is being shady. He wanted me and Lauren to go."

"Well she does use Shadow Magic and no one knows who she is. I'd say she is perfect for the job."

"Ugh… You too? Gramps said the same thing." Gray straightened himself and looked at Erza. "What I don't get is why Lauren just doesn't join Fairy Tail already. I mean, she has been with us for some time, but what's holding her back?"

"Gray, Lauren has her reasons. Although we may not know what they are, we have to respect what she decides."

Gray closed his eyes and replayed the scene of Lauren running out of the guild hall. It's as if she heard the worst news of her life. "Yeah I know, but it just weird. Most people would join us instantly, but she happens to be the only person to take her time. I guess it's whatever now…"

Erza laughed softly and stood up from the table. "You know, I didn't think you actually care about her? That's so sweet of you. Just try not to think about it too much okay?" Erza winked again and left Gray to himself.

"I told you it wasn't like that…" Gray's voice trailed off. He rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes.

 _Who is Lauren Guerrero? And why is she so weird?_

Without putting much thought, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

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 **I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far! I apologize if there are any spelling/grammar mistakes! :) Please let know what yall think!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Are we there yet or what? This is the longest short cut I've ever taken."

Gray snapped at Lauren. "Shut your mouth already! I've been to this city a dozen times. We're almost there."

"Sure… Whatever." Lauren looked up towards the sky. "Hey, it's getting dark already. Shouldn't we pitch a tent and call it a day?"

Gray picked up his walking pace. "If we keep walking, we'll get there in about 4 hours. It's your call."

"I think we should call it a day." Lauren slammed her backpack down and rested on a rock that was nearby. "I'm exhausted from the train ride and the walk. My back is starting to kill me!"

"All you ever do is complain you know? Don't you know how to do something else?"

"Shut up Gray. All you ever do is get into other people's business."

"Make yourself useful and get some firewood." Gray tossed Lauren a flashlight. "It tends to get cold at night so bring back as much as you can."

Lauren sneered. "That's ironic coming from an Ice Mage. And why can't you do it? Scared of the forest or what?"

"I've been doing most of the work here. It's about time you do something." Gray retorted back in anger.

"You're so freaking annoying I swear." Lauren turned around and vanished into the green lush's forest.

 _It's about time she left. She was getting on my last nerves_ , thought Gray to himself. He reached into his bag and pulled out his sleeping bag. As soon as he was done laying it out, he started to collect rocks and made a circle out of them. _I wonder what's taking her so long._ He laid down on his temporary bed and closed his eyes.

* * *

"Hey! Wake up will you?! Give me a hand please."

Lauren nudged Gray and he woke up startled. "What's wrong? What happened?!"

Lauren smirked and pointed to the ground near her feet. "Well, we don't have to worry about dinner!"

Near her feet laid a dead boar that was about 4 feet long and 3 feet high, most likely weighing in about 150lbs. Gray's eyes met Lauren's body and noticed that she was covered in scars and dirt. She had blood that trickled from her elbows down to her hands, grass and dirt stains all over her white shirt, and her hair was in shambles.

"How did you manage to kill this thing?" Gray asked in awe.

"It wasn't too bad. All I had to do was lure it into a bush full of vines and I snagged him! Piece of cake!"

Gray raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? Just look at yourself Lauren. Pathetic is written all over you."

"Yeah, yeah. It caught me by surprise okay? One moment I was picking up wood and the next thing I knew, I took a blow to the back of my legs and I was down." Lauren went over to the pile of wood she collected. "Anyways, I'll help with the fire. You can skin the boar, unless you don't want to get your hands dirty."

"Whatever. I'll skin the thing. Just get the fire up and running."

As Lauren bent down to pick up the firewood, she winced in pain and clutched her left side. "Crap." She whispered. Trying to act tough, she continued to pick up the wood and placed it in ring of stones. "You got any matches?"

"Yeah. They are in my bag, Just look for them in the front pocket." Gray responded.

She walked over and squatted down to his belongings. Lauren's face scrunched up in agony and her breathing became rapid. She finally managed to find the matches and she walked over and set the wood on flames. "There goes that. Almost done with that animal?"

Gray wiped his forehead. "Yeah, almost. Why don't you go wash up? I'll take care of things from here."

"No. I'm fine. Just-"

Gray shook his head and pointed to the right of him. "No you're not. You're in pain. There's a river close by. Take some bandages with you and wrap yourself up."

"Look here. I don't need your pity! I said I'm fine!"

Gray stood up and replied to her in a stern voice. "Lauren, go get some bandages and wash up. It's obvious that you're in pain. You have a hole in your shirt and blood seeping out from the wound this pig caught you. If you don't wash up, you're going to get an infection. Quit being immature and go to the river." Gray sat back down to the boar and continued skinning. "There's also alcohol for the wound to disinfect yourself. If you need help, call me."

Lauren rolled her eyes, went to her bag and grabbed some bandages. "Tch. No need to get your panties in a wad." She once again vanished into the forest.

"I swear one of these days I'm going to kill you!" Gray shouted after her.

"Back at you Ice Princess!" Lauren hollered back.

 _Sheesh… Women,_ Gray pondered.

* * *

Both Gray and Lauren munched on a slab of boar meat in silence. They had looked at each other several times, but looked away in awkwardness. The fire's heat radiated towards the two of them, making the area warmer than usual. After they were done with their dinner, they rolled themselves up in their sleeping bags.

"Thank for dinner." Gray said nervously. "If it wasn't for you, we'd be starving right now."

"No problem. Thanks for cooking it. If it wasn't for you, we would probably have food poisoning. She replied jokingly.

"You're always a pain, you know?"

"So I've been told." Lauren shifted over to her side. "Don't thank me. It's weird. You're suddenly being all nice to me and I don't like it."

Gray rested his hands behind his neck and looked up to the evening cool sky. "It's just for the sake of this mission. Once we are done, I'll go back to being rude to you. Deal?"

"Alright deal."

"Anyways, why didn't you call me for help? I mean with the boar."

"Well I did, but someone was asleep!" Lauren sighed and rustled in her bag. "It's okay though. I had a bit of trouble dragging it back, but I got here in time before it really got dark. I did lose your flashlight though. Sorry about that."

"Neh, don't worry about that, but I'm sorry for falling asleep. How long was I out for?"

"Well I was gone for about 30 minutes so maybe it wasn't more than 20 minutes?"

"Well sorry for leaving you like that. I probably shouldn't have done that." Gray responded apologetically.

"It's okay. I can take care of myself, I've been through worse."

Gray laid quietly and closed his eyes. He began to think about his past and what he went through after losing his parents. From his parents dying from the wrath of Deliora to joining Fairy Tail, Gray's heart was full of emotion. "Don't worry, things will get better." Gray blurted out softly.

"What?"

"Nothing, I'm just talking to myself. Well, let's get some sleep. We have a big day in front of us." Gray turned his back towards the fire. "Goodnight." He shut his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Lauren had waited for about an hour before deciding to take a walk to the river side. Without causing too much ruckus, she carefully slid out of her sleeping bag, threw on her hoodie, and tip toed to the water. Once she got there she crouched by the stream and played with the water with her fingers. Her mind kept wandering off what Gray said earlier in the night.

" _Don't worry, things will get better."_

In frustration, Lauren punched the water and angry thoughts flooded her head.

 _Why do these people want me so bad_ , she began. _They don't even know me, yet they want to be my friend? What a load of crap. They mostly likely are faking it. I can't stand it there! I just want to find-_

Lauren took a deep breath and collected her thoughts.

 _Remember Lauren, you're doing it for him. Do what you have to do, then you can leave. Being with Fairy Tail is your only chance of finding him._

Lauren studied the water and played with it some more. She then started to think about Fairy Tail once more.

 _You know, I kinda like being around them sometimes. It beats being alone all the time. But I still don't know them very well, even if it's been two months._ She sighed and stood up. _I guess we'll just have to see._

A memory that was lingering from the back of her head, flashed right before her eyes. Her eyes flared up in anger and her fists curled up. She lowered her head down and closed her eyes. "Where ever you are…" She tilted her head up at the sky and tears of anger and pain fell from her face. "I'm going to find you and put your life to an end. You're going to pay for all the hell that I've been through."

* * *

Gray shook Lauren until she woke up. "Wake up! We have to start heading out. Get your things ready."

Without saying a word, Lauren opened her eyes and noticed Gray cowering next to her. He had changed his clothes and had his things packed up.

"Something wrong? You look troubled and your eyes are pretty red too."

"It's nothing." She muttered quietly. She raised herself up, walked behind a tree, and changed into some fresh clothes. "Let's go." She demanded as she was walking back. Lauren slung her backpack over her shoulders and strolled past Gray. "Let's get this stupid quest over with already."


	6. Chapter 6

"Alright…" called Gray, "We are here at the room." Gray opened the door and was greeted by a small couch and a queen size bed. Both Lauren and Gray made their way into the hotel room and began to unpack their personal belongings.

"Who is going to take the bed?" asked Gray.

"I'll take it because you're way too big for the couch."

"No, I'm not going to make you do that. Just take the bed and I'll just sleep on the floor."

Lauren sat her things besides the couch, threw herself on it, and closed her eyes. "Too late. I called it. Looks like you'll have to take the bed."

Gray angrily threw his belongings next to the nightstand by the bed. "Whatever. Don't come complaining to me when you can't sleep at night because your back hurts."

"Can it Ice Freak. Anyways, I'm going to head out and explore the area. It's only good to know what's around the surroundings. Going to tag along?" questioned Lauren in a calm manner.

"Like I want to be seen with you in public. Just go and leave me alone." Demanded Gray.

"Fine loser. I'll see you in a few." Lauren stood up and left the hotel room.

* * *

Lauren aimlessly wandered around the city for about a couple hours. She had visited the market and bought herself a couple shirts, various delicious snacks, and a new dagger with maroon markings on the blade. After that, she began to examine every inch of the town. Lauren started to memorize the streets, shops, people, and anything that stuck out to her. She walked through the same streets over and over till she was content with all the information she had.

After about an hour of exploring, Lauren noticed a sketchy man hiding between two buildings. The man had dark red hair and was wearing everyday clothes, but he had on a scarf, which was quite unusual. He began to give hand signals, but Lauren could not point out to who he was making it out to. She casually inched closer to the tall red head, but he manage to vanish a couple seconds into a crowd of tourists after she got within 30 yards of him.

 _Hm… He could be a part of that guild_ , she thought to herself. _I need to check back with Gray._

Lauren swiveled her heels and joined the crowd of tourists, who had no care in the world.

* * *

"Alright so what's new midget?" Gray asked as he flipped the channels on the Tv.

"Right… So I saw this red head guy, who was wearing a black scarf, making weird hand signals to someone. I wasn't sure to who it was for, but I tried getting closer to him." Lauren began to shake her head. "Right when I got to him, he disappeared into a crowd."

Gray's posture leveled and he directed his eyes towards the small girl. "Do you think he's with Shadowfall? If you ask me, no one wears a scarf at this time of year."

"That's what I was thinking, but I can't be so sure. Besides, there has to be about a dozen guilds because of that party tomorrow night. Plus, there has to be a mix of dark and regular guilds, considering they are a dark guild that is hosting a party."

"That does make sense." Gray stood up from the couch, wandered off to the hotel room's window, and stared out of it. "We don't know what we are up against so there's a chance they noticed us. Well, more you because you were there when it happened." Gray walked over to the bed and laid down. "Alright, enough chit chat. We have a big day tomorrow so let's rest up."

Lauren gave Gray a sarcastic comment. "Yes Mom. Goodnight."

Lauren turned off the lights and rested up on her couch. She sighed and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Several hours later, the rain had woken Lauren up. Her eyes lids were heavy and she couldn't think straight.

 _Ugh… My head... Stupid rai-_

 _CRAAACK!_

In a second, the room was full of light, but then the next, it went back to being pitch black. Lauren had thrown the covers over herself.

 _It's okay girl. It's just lightning. It isn't going to hurt you. You'll be okay, just think ab-_

BOOM!

Lauren closed her eyes and she began to shake uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face and she began to hyperventilate. She tried the best she could to make the least amount of noise as possible. The last thing she wanted was to wake Gray up and notice how pathetic she was being.

Lightning struck again and Lauren covered her ears. She started to breath in and out and thought to herself.

 _Remember why you're here. You're here for him. If you can't get through this lame fear, then there's no way you can defeat him_ , she took a deep breath and finished her thought. _You have someone counting on you. Don't disappoint him…_

 _._

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 _ **It's a short chapter today, but enjoy :P**_


	7. Chapter 7

**-The Following Evening-**

Gray knocked on the bathroom door several times. "Hurry up or we are going to be late!"

"Okay chill out will you? I'm nearly done!" Lauren hollered.

Gray walked over to the mirror and he carefully smoothed out his black tuxedo and aligned his dark purple bow tie. He ran his hands through this hair and smoothed out any unnecessary hair strands that poked out.

 _I wonder what Lauren looks like in a dress. I can't just imagine her wearing one._ Without realizing it, Gray blushed a bit. _Hm. I don't think she'll look too bad. She'll look decent for once._

"I'm done. Let's head out." Lauren unfastened the door and walked out the bathroom. She had on a black elegant laced dress with black heels. Her hair was braided and in an elegant bun. She also had a pair of diamond earrings, bracelet and a simple baby blue diamond necklace. "How do I look?"

Too stunned to say anything, Gray managed to slip out a few words. "Uh, who are you?"

"Ha ha. You're funny. But really, how do I look? Am I underdressed? Overdressed? More make up? Less make up? Do my heels match? Am I too tall? Too short? What?"

"No! It's fine!" Gray's cheeks flushed and he avoided eye contact with her. "Hurry, we need to get a move on. Before we leave here's the deal. We need to walk in separately. I'm sure people might recognize me, but they won't with you. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye out for you." Gray proceeded to hand her a ticket. "You need this. Whoever does not have a ticket, won't be able to enter. Also, if they ask, your name it's Tiffany Johnson and you're with the dark guild, Paradise Flame. I'm still with Fairy Tail. If anyone asks, they are fairly new."

"What if they won't buy into that?" Lauren asked.

"Trust me they will. The Magic Council intercepted a list of all the guild's that were joining. They managed to sneak in Paradise Flame on the list. You'll be fine. If you get into any problems, do not hesitate to get in contact with me."

"How will I do that?"

"In my situation, I'll unbutton the first button I have and I'll rebutton it. As for you…" Gray thought for a bit. "Well you could just fix your necklace or something. Maybe flash a smile?"

"I don't know, but I'll figure it out by then. I doubt that I'll need to use it." Responded Lauren. "C'mon we need to go or we will never make it." Lauren headed for the door and Gray followed closely behind.

* * *

Lauren and Gray hid behind a building and waited for the other guests to pass by them.

"Alright, you know what to do. Remember, our mission is to only find out what Shadowfall is up to. Don't get into uncalled for situations. Now go, I'll be right behind you." Gray assured her confidently.

Lauren nonchalantly strolled out from the alley and made way to Shadowfall's guild hall. She followed the other members and blended in. When Lauren got close to the guild, Gray appeared into the street and tailed her from a good distance. He paced himself so that way when Lauren was stopped by the guards, he still would a short distance to walk before he entered.

Lauren reached the main gate and was instantly greeted by two hefty guards in white tuxedo jackets and black slacks.

"Ma'am. Do you have a pass?" One of them questioned her. She pulled out her ticket and handed it to them. The guard took it from her and stared at the page. His left eye glowed yellow and he closed it. "Alright, you may enter. Enjoy your night." The two guards pushed the door open for her and she walked in.

The hall was decorated in chandeliers and dozens of black and crème colored tables. Some were regular tables and others were for poker or gambling tables. Men, who were most likely servants, moved around and handed guests glasses of wine and champagne and asked if they were satisfied with the party.

Mesmerized by what was going on, Lauren began to distract herself from the mission. Gray staggered past her and "accidentally" bumped into her. Lauren nearly lost her balance, but Gray was there to catch her before she fell.

"Pardon me. I do apologize for bumping into you." Gray helped her regain her balance. "Now if you excuse me, I need to get going." As Gray left, he muttered "Idiot" under his breath.

Lauren whispered to herself. "Stupid." Her eyes followed Gray, but he then disappeared in a crowd of guests. Lauren wandered around for a bit and held small conversations with other guild members. She had no luck. Whenever she mentioned Shadowfall, the other people were just as clueless as she was. No one knew a single thing about Shadowfall.

Already having given up, Lauren took a seat at a table alone. She scanned the room in search for Gray, but she could not see him. Suddenly, a man with white spikey hair sat next to her.

"I hope you don't mind, but may I sit here?" He asked politely.

"Oh no! Go ahead, it's all empty here." Lauren moved her chair a couple inches away from the man.

The man stared at Lauren softly. "Why is a beautiful woman like you sitting all by yourself? Don't you have a date?"

Lauren blushed and shifted in her seat. "Well, no. I came alone. I was the only one sent from my guild, Paradise Flame."

"I've never heard of it. I'm guessing they are new?" The man replied confusingly.

"We are new. We've been up and running for about several months now." She responded quickly. Lauren gazed up towards the man. He had white sharp hair and almond shaped eyes. He wore an earring on his left ear that flattered his black suit.

"Oh I see." He smiled at Lauren. "What's your name?"

"My name is Lauren. Lauren Guerrero and you are?"

Just as the white haired man opened his mouth, a group of 4 guards came swarming towards the table. "Ma'am, the Guild Master requests to see you."

"Oh… Sure…" She turned towards the man. "It was nice meeting you. I'll see you around."

"You must be special if the Master wants to see you." The man waved. "It was nice meeting the most gorgeous woman tonight."

Lauren blushed and stood from her seat. The guards gestured to the right and Lauren followed to that direction. Soon the men made a square barrier and she was right in the middle of it. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Gray sitting a bar. She looked at him and his eyes were calm, yet alert, but at the same time he seemed irritated. He mouthed the words "Keep calm" to her. Lauren looked away and took a deep breath.

 _All right. Here goes nothing._

The guards in front unsealed a door and signaled for Lauren to go in. She hesitated for a moment, but the guards behind her gave her a gentle shove into the dark cold room.


	8. Chapter 8

"You're even more beautiful up front." The red headed man, who was wearing the black scarf, gestured Lauren to sit. "Please, have a seat will you?"

The guards dispersed into each corner of the room. Lauren cautiously walked over to the white satin chair that was placed just a few feet from the man's desk and took her seat. Her eyes wandered around the room. The walls were a dark red, which were covered in portraits of himself and of other various people. There was an enormous diamond chandelier that hung from his ceiling and gold encrusted whatever you could think of all around his desk and cabinets.

"I'm sorry. I haven't formally introduced myself. My name is Shiro Dawson, the Guild Master. I'll be the first to this so, welcome to Shadowfall." Shiro stood up from his chair and stuck out his hand. Lauren carefully grabbed it and shook it softly.

"My name is Tiffany Johnson and I'm from Paradise Flame. It's such an honor to attend your party." Lauren lied confidently.

"No. It's an honor to have you here. Plus, I haven't heard much of this Paradise Flame guild. Who are they exactly?"

Lauren shifter uncomfortably in her seat. "Well… we are fairly new dark guild located 30 miles west from Scorpio."

"Oh I see… Well good luck to you and your guild." Shiro chuckled. "Anyways, you're probably wondering why I called you in here. I have a plan to discuss with you."

"That is?"

"Before I tell you, I must let you know that I completely trust you, despite the fact that I just met you. Something about you just screams trust. But any who, let me get to the point. I want to tell you that I've gathered almost everyone here from every guild and I plan to strip them from their magic."

Lauren's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "But why would you do that?! For what purpose?"

"To reactivate the R-System of course!" The red head turned his back towards Lauren and stared into a wall. "Also known as The Tower of Heaven?"

"But I heard that place was destroyed years ago. There was no way it could have been rebuild. Even if people began rebuild, they would be nowhere near done!"

"Of course they wouldn't. That's why I have over hundreds of ex-mages working on it right now." Shiro turned around and sat at the edge of his desk. "You see, that's why I throw these parties. I strip mages of their magic, overpower them, and ship them off to work on the R-System. Today I happened to get a good batch of wizards, although I was hoping to get more of Fairy Tail, but that's okay."

Lauren crossed her legs and straightened up a bit. "Who is it that you want to resurrect and why?"

"Deliora, that's who. And why you ask? That's because with the help Deliora, Shadowfall will rise victorious over any guild on this earth, including the Magic Council. As a matter of fact, not only Deliora, but any Etherious we can get our hands on. Once the Council has crumbled to ash, other dark guilds will rise and take over. That's why I'm doing this!" He boomed our in laughter. "This is a chance to help Paradise Flame grow. Consider it a gift from me."

"Thanks. I really, uh, appreciate it..." Lauren's voice trailed off.

"Now that I let you in on my plan, it's time for you to hold you end of the deal." Shiro got up from his desk, pulled in a chair right in front of Lauren, and sat down.

"Wait, you never said this was a deal!"

"I'm doing you 2 favors Sweetie. One for your guild and one for yourself." Shiro motioned the guards to leave the room. When they left, he continued. "I'm sparing your life. If it's not for me, you'd be like everyone else, powerless." He reached to Lauren and traced the bottom of her chin.

"Just a second!" Lauren snapped and pulled away from him. "I never agreed to the terms and conditions!"

"Heh. I guess you don't know single thing about a dark guild. First rule, dark guilds don't follow rules. You just screwed yourself over Honey." Shiro once again reached over to Lauren and placed his hand on her cheek. "I can't let a girl like you go to waste anyways. That's why I want to make you mine." He leaned over and pressed his lips against hers. He clutched her arms tightly against her body and pressed his body against hers. Shiro got onto her lap, his soft lips pressed harder, and his hands started to move around her body.

Taken by surprise, Lauren pushed him off and slapped him across the face. She quickly stood from her chair and headed towards the door.

Shiro held his face and grabbed her arm. He brought her back to his body and he forcefully hugged her and force his mouth onto hers. Lauren began groan in terror. She pushed her hands out in front of her and struggled to keep him away from her. As a last resort, she grabbed his scarf and tightened it around his neck. Shiro gasped for air and eventually go of Lauren.

Shiro smiled. "By the way, how's that new dagger of yours?"

Lauren let go of the scarf and she bolted for the door.

"You won't get far Sweety…" Shiro choked up.

* * *

Gray waited anxiously for Lauren to appear from the mysterious room. He began to sip small amounts of his whiskey and sat patiently.

 _It's been about an hour. Where can she be?_ Suddenly, horrifying images flooded his mind. _What if they've done something to her? What if they doing something now?!_

Gray slammed his glass against the bar counter and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Where are you…?" He whispered to himself.

* * *

Lauren immediately noticed Gray. He was sipping on a glass and looked irritated as ever. As she began to walk towards the guild hall's exit, Gray managed to finally look her way.

 _Crap_ , she thought. _What's the signal?!_

Lauren flattened her dress, fixed the necklace, and her hair. Hoping that it meant something, she casually headed for the metal gates.

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 **Thanks for reading so far! Just a heads up, I was so use to writing in First Person, so if you come across it during the story, I apologize. x)**

 **(I'm mainly writing in 3rd Person in this story.)**


	9. Chapter 9

Lauren reached the gates cautiously and walked past them with ease.

 _Whew. I'm glad that is over…_

She had walked about 20 steps and she felt a pair of hands grip her arm firmly and greedily pull into the dark alley. Before she could yell for help, another pair had covered her mouth.

Three men stood with Lauren, staring at her with ravenous eyes. One man looked at another and he smiled maliciously. "Well, well. Think you can get away with hurting our boss? I guess that means we will teach her a lesson. Right boys?"

"Right boss!" The other called out in unison.

The man that held Lauren by the arm carefully traced his fingers down her cheek, traced her jawline, made his way down her neck, and traced all the way down her cleavage.

"You don't much to begin with but, it's going to have to do." He grabbed her by the neck and hungrily kissed Lauren. He pinned her against the wall and continued to gnaw at her lips. The other men that stood by turned their backs, keeping watch.

Lauren, too frightened say anything, tried to fight back. The man's grip tightened every time she struggled. Tears strolled down her face and her body began to go dumb.

"Would you quit squirming?! You're making this difficult!" The man brought his hand up to strike her.

Just before he was going to hit her, the two men that stood keeping watch, grunted in pain and collapsed to the floor. The man that had Lauren turned around and noticed broken ice all over the place.

"Let her go or I'll kill you." A cold voice called out to him.

The man laughed. "Kill me? It think you're bluffing."

Out of nowhere, a sword made of ice flew and stabbed the man in the leg. He howled in pain and clutched his leg. Blood began to ooze out and puddle underneath him.

A man with black hair and shirtless emerged from the shadow. "Am I bluffing now?" His cold eyes gazed at the frightened young woman. "Get over here Lauren." Without complaining, Lauren made her way to where Gray was standing. He gently moved her behind, walked to the man covered in blood, and grabbed his neck. "Don't ever lay a hand on her again. Next time I won't hesitate to kill you. Got that buddy?"

"Understood! I'm sorry man!" The man wailed in agony.

Gray paced over to where the scared girl was, held her hand, and pulled out of the alleyway.

* * *

The two mages awkwardly walked back to the hotel in silence. It wasn't before long Gray snapped at Lauren.

"What the heck were you thinking?! You were lucky I was there!"

Lauren hung her head. "Sorry…" She quietly replied.

"And what kind of a signal was that?! How I was supposed to know what that was? You fixing yourself? Come on Lauren!" Gray began to shout. "Pull it together! You're worse than Flame Brain!"

Lauren didn't respond. She felt not only humiliated, but useless. Memories from her childhood began to haunt her. She closed her eyes and controlled her breathing. Her head began to float back to the incident moments ago. Lauren wrapped her arms around her chest and shivered.

Gray continued to yell at her. "Are you even listening?! I saved you back there. Don't I get a th-"

"Thank you." Lauren responded silently.

Gray sighed. "No problem. Just don't let it happen again. Say, why didn't you fight back? You took out like 20 men couple months ago. Why did you choke with only 3?"

"Don't worry about that."

A man came out from a nearby restaurant and blocked Gray and Lauren's path. Gray jumped in front of Lauren and got into his fighting stance. Once he noticed who it was, he relaxed.

"You scared me there Doran. I thought you were those guys back there."

"It's no problem Gray. I apologize for scaring you both. Anyways, back to business, do you two have any intel on Shadowfall?"

Lauren took a step forward. "Shiro, the Guild Master, wants to revive the R-System by draining the mages magic, who are at the party, and use them as slaves. By using the system, he wants to bring back Deliora to life and other Etherious to take over the earth."

"Is that that you managed to get?"

"Other than saying he wanted Shadowfall to rise, destroy the Council, and demolish guilds, nope. He didn't mention anything else."

Doran nodded and walked away. "Your job is done. Don't worry about the party or those men. We already have the Council infiltrating Shadowfall as we speak. Thank you." Doran vanished.

"Well that was fast." Gray turned to Lauren. "What's up with you? Why are being all weird?"

Lauren avoided Gray's face and stared at the floor.

"Come on, quit ignoring me! Say something to me midget." Gray reached for Lauren.

She slapped his hand away. "I just want to go to sleep." Lauren replied in a shaky voice. She walked past the Ice Mage and headed for the hotel.


	10. Chapter 10

Once the two mages reached their room, Lauren slipped into the bathroom without a word. She looked into the mirror and noticed that her mascara, along with her eyeliner, had ran down her face. How long it was there? She had no idea. She turned on the shower, hopped out her elegant clothes, and jumped into the piping hot water. Lauren sat in the tub and rested her head on her knees as the water massaged her skin gently.

 _Just my luck. It was going to happen twice tonight_ , she thought. _Why does it have to be me?_

Lauren closed her eyes and contemplated on her life so far. All she could ever think about was him. The man that practically ruined her life. The man that once loved her. The man that betrayed her. The man that changed her life.

* * *

Gray stepped out the bathroom and hopped onto his bed. Lauren had been wandering around the room, picking up her belongings and cleaning up the mess she made.

"Thanks for saving me." Lauren said quietly.

Gray turned over on his side and faced the short girl. "You're welcome. Just be more careful next time. I don't want to have to be saving you all the time."

The girl didn't respond. She went about her business and avoid Gray's eye contact.

"Hey, I'm talking to you." Gray growled. "Why have you been ignoring me this whole time? Is this what I get for saving you?"

Lauren turned off the lights and crawled onto the couch. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Gray flipped over on his back and pondered to himself.

 _Why is this girl avoiding me? I wonder what her deal is…_

* * *

 **-Lauren's POV-**

I woke in the middle of the night and heard someone knocking on the door. "Gray… The door…" I called out to him in my sleepy voice. Gray didn't budge. "Why me?" I picked myself up and staggered to the door. I reached for the handle and twisted the knob quietly. "How may I he-"

The door flew open. It had hit me in the face so hard that it knocked me back. I clutched my face and felt my warm blood ooze from my nose.

"I finally found you." A man's voice laughed wickedly.

I looked up frantically. There stood a tall figure, about 6 feet, and he wore a black cloak that covered his face. Although I couldn't see what the evil man looked like, I automatically knew who he was from the sound of his voice.

"GRAY HELP ME!" I cried out to him. "COME ON! QUIT PLAYING!"

No response.

I looked back and noticed that Gray was no longer on the bed. There was no trace of him. The bed was neatly folded and it had been unused. It was as if he had never been with me on the job.

I looked back at the man. He slowly walked towards me with his hands out to me. I scrambled backwards, trying to get away from him, but I ended up hitting the wall behind me. I glanced to the right of me and the mirror was there.

I noticed that there was a small girl, about the age of 12, staring at me with her frightened brown eyes. She had semi-long brown hair that barely made it past her shoulders, she was short in height, and was in a set of black and pink torn pajamas. I looked away and suddenly noticed that I was that same girl in the mirror.

The man grabbed me by my legs and he began to drag me to the bathroom. "AHAHA! I MISSED YOU THIS WHOLE TIME! NOW PLAY TIME BEGINS."

As he was dragging me, I clawed at the hotel's carpet in desperation. Tears ran down my face and I began to yell for help.

As soon as he pulled me into the bathroom, the door slammed shut.

* * *

I jolted up from the couch. My head was covered in sweat and my heart was beating aggressively in my chest. A couple seconds passed by and I laid back down. My stomach began to churn violently and I felt this hot liquid come up in my throat.

I jumped from the couch and sprinted to the bathroom. I got to the toilet and puked everything I had in my belly.

 _This hurts so much…_

After I was done, I flushed the toilet and laid back down on my "bed".

 _It was only a nightmare. It's not real. It is okay Lauren, you're safe._

The man that was in my dream, wasn't the man I was looking for, but he definitely was someone I didn't want to see.

I sighed and closed my eyes. I hadn't noticed, but the rain had been beating down outside for a while.

 _CRAACK!_

In a second, the room lit up and it became dark. I threw the covers over my head and my breathing starting to speed up.

 _Really? Out of all the days, it just had to be today. Screw this thunder._

There was another loud crack and I closed my eyes.

 _Okay, okay. I'm sorry I said that!_

Every so often, the thunder progressively got louder and louder. I couldn't hold my tears back. I was trembling in fear. I pulled my hands over my ears and began to hum any tune that came to mind.

Out of nowhere, someone ripped the covers off of me. I opened one of my eyes and noticed Gray towering over me. He gently picked me up and carried my off to the bed. He laid me down carefully on one side of the bed and he laid down on the other side. There was a gap between us, but it was close enough to feel each other's body heat radiate.

Just when I was going to say something, the black haired guy interrupted me. "Look. You don't have to say anything. I know that you're scared of lightning because I heard you crying the other night. Don't worry about it, I won't say anything if that's what you're worried about." He took a deep breath. "Plus I heard you vomit several minutes ago. I hadn't noticed, but you had a real long night, especially with dealing with those guys in the alley. I'm sorry for not noticing it sooner. Anyways, get some rest."

I bit my lip. I didn't want to tell him about the whole incident with Shiro. I closed my eyes, turned my back towards him, and whispered silently.

"Don't worry about it…"


	11. Chapter 11

**-Normal POV-**

Lauren sat up, stretched her arms and yawned. Her eyes cracked open and her vison was blurred. Her big brown eyes were greeted by a pair of black eyes that were widened in shock.

"Mornin' Gray." Lauren rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Why are you so awake at this time?" Once she was finished rubbing her eyes, she looked at where the Ice Mage was at.

Without realizing, Lauren was sitting on top of Gray's waist in her t-shirt and spandex. The Ice mage stared at her with a blushed face and confused look. His arms were out to his side and he was eagerly awaiting for the short girl to make her next move.

"OHMYGOSH!" Lauren shrieked out in terror. She leaned over to the side and fell off the bed. She collected herself and headed over to the couch. "I'M SO SORRY!" Lauren huffed and she grasped her chest.

"It's cool… It happens…" Gray admitted in embarrassment.

"This doesn't happen! Was I sleeping on top of you?"

Gray scratched his head timidly. "Yeah…"

"How long?"

His response was nervous. "Um... maybe for about half the night? You kept crying in your sleep and before I knew it, you had crawled on me."

Lauren snapped and walked over to Lauren. "YOU KNEW?! And you didn't do anything?!"

"WHAA?! What was I supposed to do? You had finally stopped crying and I wanted you to sleep!" Gray covered his eyes and blushed. "Dude, wear some pants!"

Lauren looked down and flushed in humiliation. "WHERE ARE MY SWEATS?!" Her eyes met to Gray's and she gave him a piercing look. "PERVERT! WHAT WERE YOU GOING TO DO?!"

"NOTHING! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU TOOK THEM OFF! MAYBE YOU JUST GOT HOT OR SOMETHING! JUST GO PUT SOMETHING ON!"

Lauren stormed to the bathroom and shut the door rapidly. She sat on the floor and rested her head in between her legs. She sighed and closed her eyes.

 _How awkward can that be,_ she thought. _Out of all people, it just had to be Ice Freak._ She stopped for a bit and her mind shifted to the dream she had in the middle of the night. _It all seemed too real._ A chill went down her spine and she violently shivered. _What if he is…?_ Her body felt hot and her stomach churned. She crawled to the toilet and waited for another puking session to happen. Cold sweat beaded down her body. _That will never happen… Besides he doesn't know where I am…_

"Hey! If you don't mind, I kinda have to use the bathroom." Gray called from the other side. "Maybe after done getting dressed, want to tag along with me? I'm going to the city to buy a few things. It's cool if you don't want to go."

The girl on the other side began to feel her chest tighten and her eyes water. She dared not to stay in this stuffy hotel room. Not after what happened last night. "Yeah, I'll go. Just give me a second. I'll be right out."

* * *

Gray walked from market stand to market stand and Lauren followed closely behind him. Both too embarrassed to talk to each other, Gray always diverted his attention to the items on sale from the stands. Each minute that passed by, the more awkward it was becoming. Gray looked back occasionally to see if Lauren was alright, but each time he looked back, he could tell that she was not focused.

"What's up with last night? You okay?" Gray finally asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine… It's just some food poisoning." Lauren answered back.

Gray scratched his head. "That's funny. I don't remember you eating anything last night at the party. Unless you ate something that Guild Master gave you, I think you're lying."

Lauren ignored him.

"So I am right. Well, it's not my business, but if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for ya. Anyways…" Gray snickered. "Who would have thought that a 23 year old girl would be afraid of some lightning?"

"Screw you man." Lauren fumed with anger.

The Ice mage laughed. "Calm down. I'm just messing with you. Like I said, your secret is safe with me." Gray stuck his hand out.

"Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?"

"Well because I felt like I was being a jerk to you this whole time and I wanted to make it up to you. Plus after what happened last night, I think that the last thing you need is someone lecturing you."

Lauren thought to herself before she replied. "Thanks for your concern, but I don't need your pity." She walked past him.

Gray grabbed her wrist. "What I don't understand is why you could take down 30 guys a few months ago, but not 3 men yesterday and you have to stay close to me. Shadowfall could still have members lurking around."

"Get your hand off of me." The girl pulled her slim arm away. "I can take care of myself. I don't need a babysitter and it's none of your business."

"Tch. You couldn't even defend yourself yesterday. I saved your sorry butt, remember that." Gray responded in anger. "I had to protect you!"

"I don't need your protection. If you hadn't butt in, I could have beaten them myself!"

"Whatever liar! You looked freaking hopeless. Actually, not only did I save you, but I had to look after you like a little girl. Ugh, I swear… You're so useless! I don't want to be with you anymore." Gray spat at her viciously. Realizing what he had said, Gray immediately apologized. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. I was just angry."

Blown away at what Gray had said, Lauren felt her chest tighten and her heart drop to her stomach. "Oh. I'm sorry." She turned away from Gray and walked to the direction of the hotel. "I'm going to start packing."

"Hold up wait!" Gray hollered and chased after her, but he managed to lose her in the crowd of tourists.

 _Ugh,_ Gray pondered as he brought his hand up to his face. _It was an accident, I swear! Now she really hates me…_

Gray sighed and headed back to the hotel room in shame. His eyes wandered around the scenery. He hadn't realized it, but today was a beautiful day. The sun was beating with warmth and it shone brightly. The smell fresh bread and fried squid filled the air. People, mostly families and merchants, filled the plaza and everyone was having a great time. Kids were running around playfully while the parents looked after them. Merchants waved and smiled to anyone that had walked by their stand. Everyone, but Gray and Lauren, were having the time of their lives.

Gray felt chills run down his spine. He looked behind him and his eyes met a man in dark brown hair in a black shirt and light brown cargo shorts. He had an enormous, thick scar that was under his right eye and trailed all the way down about halfway down his neck. He was about as tall the Mage and a bit more built.

The man looked up to Gray, smiled, and winked.

Trying to act like he saw nothing, Gray casually swung his body around and picked up his pace.

 _This isn't good. I have to get to Lauren._

* * *

Gray busted through the hotel door. "Lauren?! Are you alright?!"

No response.

Gray ran in and noticed that all the bags, including his, was packed and ready to go. He frantically began to search for Lauren in the room. He opened the closet and bathroom door. He swiveled around and saw a girl strewn on top of the bed. She was curled up under the sheets sound asleep. He let out a deep breath.

 _Dang. She scared me._

Gray walked over and shook Lauren gently. "Hey wake up, we gotta go."

"Nhgg… I'm up…" She replied softly. She got up from the bed half asleep and grabbed her things. She threw her backpack over her shoulders. "Ready when you are." She yawned.

Gray grabbed his personal belongings. "Thanks for packing my things." He looked at Lauren, but noticed that she had a pair of earphones on.

 _Whatever._

The two Mages walked out of their room and headed back to Fairy Tail. Gray had dared not let Lauren out of his sight.

 _That man… I wonder if he was following her… And for how long…_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 **Sorry if there are lots of spelling/grammar mistakes. It's late and I'm tired xD**


	12. Chapter 12

**-Couple Days Later-**

"I'm proud of you both. Not only did you uncover the secrets of Shadowfall, but you saved the lives of the guilds and their mages." Makarov began. "The Magic Council couldn't be any happier. Now for your reward." He set down a 2 brown, large sized sacks on the table in front of him. The two of them took one and thanked him. "Each of you get 100,000 Joules, but since the Council thought the quest wasn't as serious as they thought it would be, they felt hat it was the need to give you a little more."

"So how much is in here Gramps?" Gray asked.

Makarov smiled cheekily. "300,000 Joules."

Everyone in the guild became silent. Lauren and Gray looked at each other, with their mouths opened, and mouth the words "Holy Crap". Makarov dismissed them both and he went about his business.

"We got lucky huh? I don't know what to do with all this!" Gray examined in happiness.

"Same here." Lauren replied quietly. "I'll have enough to…" Lauren smiled mid-way through her sentence.

"Enough for what?"

"It's nothing. Thanks for watching my back and everything. Anyways, I'll see you around." As she was about to leave, the girls swarmed her and Gray.

Lucy hugged Lauren. "OMG! WE MISSED YOU! TELL US HOW IT WENT!"

"We are all curious to know what happened. Most of us were worried about you since it's your first time pairing up for a quest." Erza explained.

Gray crossed his arms. "What about me?"

"We don't care about you Gray. This is girl talk here." Lucy began.

Gray threw his hands up and walked away. "Say no more, I'm leaving."

"Girl tell us what all went down…" Lisanna began. The girls pulled Lauren towards the back of the guild hall and they started to chat.

* * *

Gray sat down next to Natsu, who was scarfing his face with various foods. "You're disgusting Flame Brain. Why don't you eat like a human for once?"

"Shut it Ice Princess!" The pink haired mage responded. "How'd the mission go? Heard you got a lot of joules."

"Yeah, we got a crap load. The mission was alright…"

"Why do you say that? Something happened?"

"More like what didn't?" Gray sighed. "I don't even know what happened exactly."

"Ha. You probably messed up." Natsu teased as he shoved a turkey leg in his mouth.

"I did honestly. I snapped at her and said some things shouldn't have."

"What did you tell her?"

Gray ran his fingers through his hair. "I told her she was useless and I didn't want to work with her anymore."

Natsu punched Gray's arms. "What the heck man! We want her to join the guild, not scare her away! Did you at least apologize?"

"I tried, but she kind of ignored me the whole time. We talk once or twice on the way back, but she was listening to her music."

"Idiot! If she doesn't join, I'm going to break your skull in!"

"Calm down Pyro Maniac! Anyways, I found something suspicious on our last day." Gray whispered. "I really think that this random guy was following us around the whole time.

"Who was it?"

"Beats me, but I'm more convinced that he was after Lauren. Something about him was just screaming Lauren."

Natsu stopped eating and rubbed his chin. "Have you told her?"

"Nah. I can't after what happened after the party and I don't plan to. Some guys tried to make a move on her and she froze. That's what I don't get though. She took down a bunch of guys a couple months ago right? But when it came to those 3 guys, she completely choked."

"Well, it's doesn't take rocket science to figure out that when a girl gets in those situations, it's likely that she is going to freak out. Guys see situations differently from girls, so I wouldn't worry too much."

Gray looked at Natsu with total awe. "Wow. Flame Idiot here said something smart for once…"

"Cram it Ice Freak! I have my suspicions as well, but like I said, it ain't rocket science!"

Gray gazed over to where the girls were sitting. He stared at Lauren, who was blushing for some reason, and couldn't help but to think about lots of things.

* * *

The girls squealed in excitement. "So how was your first time tagging along with someone?!"

"It could have been better… Things didn't go as planned, but the mission was a success, so I can't complain." Lauren responded.

"Like what? Tell us!"

"Well, for one, I had to dorm with Gray." The short mage's face flushed. "I had no choice, but to bunk on the couch."

Lucy stood up with anger. "HOW DARE HE?! HE MADE YOU SLEEP ON THE COUCH! I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

Lauren waved her hands to Lucy. "No! It's okay! He insisted, but I refused. It really isn't a big deal." Lucy took her seat. "Anyways, that happened and we got ready for the party."

Mira poked at Lauren's side. "I bet Gray couldn't take his eyes off of you…"

"Whatever, I don't see him like that. Anyhow, this guy came up to me at the party though." Lauren blushed in shyness.

Erza and the others held on to Lauren and shook her desperately. "Tell us everything! How was he? What's his name? Where's he from?"

She shook her head. "I couldn't get his name, but he was really cute. He called me beautiful and gorgeous…" By that time, Lauren's cheeks had turned bright red and she covered her face with her hands.

"What he look like?!" The girls questioned.

"Well, he had white, spiky hair, probably tall like Gray, and a bit pale. Maybe the nicest feature was his eyes."

"What if you saw him again?"

"I'm not sure, but I wouldn't mind seeing him again." Lauren stood up. "Sorry girls, but I need to go. My home is calling me."

"Can we tag along?" Lucy and Erza asked.

"Sorry, but I'd rather you guys not." Lauren responded sadly.

The Fairy Tail girls looked at each other in confusion. They shrugged their shoulders and said their goodbyes.

Lauren stepped out of the guild. She looked at the sky and took a deep breath. She was finally done with the quest and she could go home.

Gray stepped out from beside the guild doors. "Hey Lauren, got a second?"

Startled, Lauren threw her sack down and got into a fighting stance. "Oh, it's you." She relaxed and picked up her things.

"Psh, of course it's me! Anyways, I wanted to say thanks for coming with me to the quest and your hard work."

"Not like I had a choice." Lauren began to walk away. "Sorry for getting in your way."

Gray took a step towards her. "Hey, I wanted to apologize for the things I said a couple days ago. I was just…"

"Frustrated? Don't worry, I understand. I'll see you around."

"Let me at least walk you home. It's dangerous for you to walk around with a crap load of money."

"Sorry, but no thanks. I don't need any help from you. I'll be fine." Lauren waved to him. "Later." With that said, she disappeared into the restless city.

* * *

Gray entered the guild. He sat down with Erza and Lucy. He closed his eyes and curled his fists. "I just don't that girl! I swear, one of these days, I'm going to punch her face in!"

Lucy furrowed her eyes. "Woah there Gray, calm down! What's wrong with you?"

"I'm trying to be nice to her, but she's not letting me! What's her problem?!"

Erza stared at the floor beneath her. "That's probably because we don't know her problem. There's a chance she's going through something right now. I believe it is best if we let her alone for a bit."

"I guess so…" Gray leaned back in his chair. "Something about her… I don't know who she is, but I think she has something she is hiding from us."


	13. Chapter 13

**-Gray's POV-**

I strolled the streets of Magnolia alone. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my black jeans and kept my head down. The last thing that I wanted to do was be surrounded by a posse of obsessed women drooling over me.

Out from the corner of my eyes, I saw a short girl with brown and blonde hair, who was in a white V-neck and black Adidas pants. In her hands, she held a bag, which was overflowing with groceries. She seemed calm and collected each time she entered a store. Every time she came out from them, she always had bought something.

I carefully paced myself towards her. I attempted to avoid her field of vision. I snuck up behind her and got close to her ear.

"Nice try Ice Freak. I saw you several minutes ago." The girl turned around and made eye contact with me. "I'd appreciate it if you would stop stalking me."

"What?! That's impossible! There was no way…"

Lauren fumbled with the bags. "Well, there was obviously a way if I caught you red handed."

I reached over and a couple bags Lauren had been holding. "Here let me help you and don't say you don't need it because you obviously do. Besides, why are you shopping alone? Why don't you invite Erza or Lucy?"

Lauren glared at me for a second, but then continued on with her shopping. "I did, but both of them cancelled on me last minute. Apparently we were going to go clothes shopping, since all I ever wear is V-necks, black sweats, and running shoes."

"Well it's true midget. That's all I ever see you wear. Why not be a girl for once?" I teased.

"Nope. I'm good. I'd rather be comfortable because it's more convenient. Plus, I don't have any reason to dress up. I don't have anybody to impress."

"Well how do you explain the quest from about a month ago? Where did you get that dress?"

Lauren looked by and sneered at me. "Well, it's not like I never had owned a dress before in my life. I always have some girly clothes at home. I'm a girl remember?"

I stuck my tongue out at her. "You don't act like one."

"Whatever loser. Like I care what you think about me."

I stopped walking and stared at her. "You know what? I'll give you a reason to wear something girly."

Lauren slowed her pace until she came to a halt. She turned her heels and raised an eyebrow. "Oh really now? What's that reason?"

"Me, you, tomorrow. Flaming Flamingo. 8 PM sharp." I called out to her confidently. It almost had sounded really cocky.

"Oh so you're asking me out on a date? Forget it. I'm not going out with someone like you."

"Well… It would be shame if some knew about your little… secret." I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes. "When you think about it, it's a bit pathetic if you ask me. A grown woman afraid of some lightning. Especially one who supposedly isn't afraid of anything." I gave her an evil smile.

"You jerk." She closed her hand into a ball and sped towards me. "I'm going to hurt you!"

"You can't cause a scene here. Makarov said so." I replied back to her.

"I'll never forgive you for this." Lauren snatched her groceries from my hand and stormed off.

I brought my hands to my mouth and howled after her. "I'LL SEE YOU OUTSIDE THE GUILD AT 7:30 PM SHARP! WEAR SOMETHING NICE OR ELSE!"

* * *

It seemed like I had been waiting for ages. I looked at my watch and the time read 8:10 Pm. I sighed and fixed my silver dress shirt and my black slacks. I checked the time again. 8:12 Pm.

 _Where is that Midget! I'm going to kill her…_

I heard someone's footsteps hit the pavement nearby. Turning around the corner, There stood a girl in a classy floral dress that hung to about her mid thighs. She wore brown sandals and had her hair down all on one side. Her face looked a bit pale and her eyes looked concerned. My eyes wandered to her arm. Her right forearm was covered in bandages.

"Sorry I'm really late. Something came up and I had to deal with it." She panted.

I walked closer to her. "Is everything fine? You didn't have to run, you know."

"It's okay. Yeah, everything is fine! I have everything under control." She straightened her posture and fixed her hair. "Alright, ready to go?"

"I've been ready for about a while now. Let's go!"

* * *

As soon as we arrived to the restaurant, a waiter greeted us and showed us off to our seats. We sat down and ordered our beverages. I had ordered a glass of red wine, but Lauren on the other hand, ordered plain water. I decided to not to give her a hard time about it, so I stuck my nose in the menu. Soon enough, the waiter came by and took our orders. She left and now it was just the two of us alone.

I noticed Lauren fiddling with her straw. She looked at me and opened her mouth. "So why did you ask me out on this date? I know for a fact that you don't have feelings towards me."

I placed my hands on the table and replied smoothly. "You don't know that. What if I do have feelings for you?"

"They definitely don't develop over a span of 30 seconds." She retorted. "Please stop messing around and answer my question. Why?"

I leaned back in my chair and rolled up my sleeves. "Well because I want to get to know you a little better. You've been with Fairy Tail for about 3 to 4 months now and I feel like it's necessary."

"So you take out every girl that joins the guild on a date?"

"No. You're the only girl I've asked out on a date because I actually care about you. What do you think a date is for?"

Lauren blushed. She looked at her water and bit her bottom lip. "I only agreed because you were going to spill the beans about my secret."

"I can't believe you fell for it because I wasn't going to tell anybody."

"Jerk." She muttered under her breath.

I crossed my legs and folded my hands together. "Now tell me, Who Is Lauren and what is her life story?"

Lauren glared at me. Her big brown eyes were like tiny poison daggers. If looks could kill, I would be dead instantly. She sighed in defeat. "You obviously know my name and I honestly don't remember what city I'm from. Like I said, I grew up an orphan." She looked at her hands and continued. "All I remember is a man, who eventually became my dad, brought me to a city named Blackiron…" Her voice grew quiet as the sentence came to an end.

"What happened?" I eagerly asked.

"Long story short, he up and left me and I was on my own ever since." Lauren's eyes grew distant and sad. "Time passed and I started guild hopping in order to make money. By that time, I was about 17 or 18 years old."

"Why didn't you stay at a guild?"

Instead of answering right away, she lost herself in her thoughts. "I felt it wasn't for me. I had been used to being alone the whole time, so I tried avoiding the crowd. In my opinion, it's much safer that way."

I leaned forward in my chair. "Are you going to leave us?"

"I haven't decided, but there is a big possibility."

I examined her face closely. Something grabbed my attention right away. "That scar right there." I pointed underneath my jaw. "Did that happen when you were younger?"

She placed my fingers under her jaw and smiled. "Yes actually, but I don't want to talk about that though. Let's save it for another time."

"Seems fair. So what's the point of jumping from guild to guild? Are you on a mission?"

"Not really, just moving around sightseeing places." Lauren quickly bit her lip.

I cleared my throat and looked her square in the eyes. "So why were those guys after you when we first met?"

Lauren's eyes widened. She looked away and slammed her fist on the table. "So you wanted to interrogate me this whole time? You're such a pig!" She stood from her chair.

"I'm sorry midget. I was curious that's all. Please sit."

She sat down and avoided my eyes. She played with her drink and I noticed tears running from her face.

"What's wrong Lauren?"

"Nothing. Leave me alone." She whispered angrily.

"Quit being stubborn. Tell me what's wrong."

"No! I'm not going to tell you so please stop pestering me!" She got up and stormed out of the restaurant.

I shot up from my seat and followed her. When I exited Flaming Flamingo, Lauren had taken off from a sprint and was ahead of me about 50 yards.

 _Crap. This girl can sure run._

I chased her up and down the streets until I was close enough to talk to her. "Look Lauren! Slow down or you're going to hurt yourself!"

"Leave me alone! I don't need you to…" Lauren was interrupted by a loud tearing noise. She collapsed and fell face first to the floor. One of her sandals had snapped and caused her to trip. As I got closer, I noticed blood trickling from her nose and dirt smeared all over her dress.

"Lauren! I told you to slow down!" I leaned over to help her up, but she swatted me away.

"Stop! You don't know what I've been through! I don't need someone like you to just come and waltz into my life! So please just leave me alone!" She sobbed quietly as she moved to sit on her knees.

I frowned and knelt beside her. "You're right. I don't know what you've been through, but guess what. I'm an orphaned kid too. I saw my parents die under the wrath of Deliora. I know what it's like to be alone. I've been through many hardships, but that doesn't mean you have to go through it all by yourself."

"Shut… up…" Lauren growled as her fists closed.

Her small body launched towards mine. When she crashed into my chest, all I could do was bring her into a soft hug. She struggled to loosen up from my grip, but at the end, gave up. I felt her hands clutch my shirt and Lauren began to cry uncontrollably.

"Why are you doing this to me…? Why do you care so much about me!?" She asked as she gasped for air.

"The people from Fairy Tail really care about you. If one is suffering, then we all are because everyone is family, even if you're not with the guild. And if I told you the other reason, then I don't think you would believe me."

Lauren's voice croaked. "What is it?"

I gently moved her away from my body and moved the stray hairs away from her face. "Well, it because I kinda, sorta do love you a little bit." I giggled nervously.

"Stop playing around! You think this is a joke?!" Lauren punched my chest.

"I'm being serious. I really believe that I do love you. I hate how you're always doing things by yourself. I hate to see you suffer. I also hate how you don't ask for help because you can't to everything by yourself. And when I heard your story, It really pissed me off because don't understand how a girl like you was just abandoned at a young age." I stood on my feet and picked my Lauren as well. "The thing is, I want to protect you. I want to love you like no one else has. I want to be by your side so you don't have to suffer alone. Why? Because I love you."

"Are you trying to use me?!"

"You honestly think I would use you?! Pull your head out of your butt and just grow up! Trust me for once!"

Lauren took a deep breath and wiped her tears away. "How do I know you aren't making this up?"

"Would I do this?" I brought my hand to her cheek and slowly pulled her in to my face. I leaned down and our lips locked for a couple seconds. Her lips were warmed my body. The hair that grazed my hand was extremely soft and smelled like fresh flowers. I once again felt her hands grip my shirt, but she brought me in closer instead of punching the crap out of me. She pulled away and buried her face into my chest.

"This wasn't supposed to happen. None of it was."

"But it did so…" I teased softly.

"What now then? What does that make us?"

I looked at her and smiled. "Well, it could make us official, but that's all up to you."

Lauren moved away from me and turned away. "I need time to think this through. I don't want to rush into this." Lauren ran her fingers through her hair and whined. "You're confusing me butt out of me you know! I'm trying to hide my feelings for you, but you just had to come around and kiss me didn't you?"

"I'm sorry about that, but I just had to." I responded. "I didn't want to miss my chance with someone as beautiful as you."

Lauren turned around and gave me a helpless look. "Stop saying that! It's so weird…"

"I'm just telling you the truth. Anyways, we need to get you home and get you all cleaned up."

Lauren shook her head. "I'm fine. I can walk myself home."

"Didn't you just hear what I said a couple minutes ago?! I wasn't going to leav-"

"Please?" She cut me off mid-sentence. "I want to be alone right now."

I gazed at her for a couple seconds. "Fine, but next time, I'm walking you home."

"Deal." Lauren picked up her torn sandal and took the other one off. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Be safe out there okay?" I waved goodbye.

Lauren smiled and waved back weakly. I watched her as she vanished once again into the city, alone.

 _Dang it Gray. You made her blow a fuse, destroyed her outfit, and made her cry. You really don't deserve her_ , I thought.

I shoved my hands in my pocket and walked back to my house, all on my own.

* * *

 **-Lauren's POV-**

As soon as I got home, I closed the door behind me and leaned against it. I closed my eyes and remembered what happened several minutes ago. I slid down to the floor and tears flowed from my face. I could feel my heart tearing into two pieces.

"I'm sorry Gray… I wish I could just tell you everything…"


	14. Chapter 14

**-Normal POV; Couple Months Later-**

"Oi Ice Princess! Where's your girl at?" Natsu asked as he entered the guild. "She said she had something she wanted to show me."

Gray shook his head. "I'm not sure where she is at, but it shouldn't be long till she is here."

"By the way, why does she always go on job requests by herself? I feel like she should go with us, but she declines every time. What she got to hide?"

"I wish I knew, but she does the same to me. I think she'll come around eventually." Gray replied. The door from the guild swung open and a girl stood there breathing heavily. "Speaking of which, there's my girl."

"Yo Lauren! How's it going?! What did you want to show me and why are you all sweaty?"

Lauren walked over to the boys and plopped down onto a chair. "I was just doing a little jog that's all…" She panted nervously. "Anyways, have you seen the bracelet you gave me? I was wearing it the other day, but it vanished. Maybe it fell when I was at Erza's the other day, but I'm really sorry…" She questioned as she turned to Gray.

"This is why I can't buy you nice things." Gray responded in disappointment. "It's okay love, don't worry about it. I'll get you another one." He leaned over and planted a kiss on Lauren's forehead.

Natsu butted in the sentimental moment. "Gross guys! Come on Lauren! What did you have to show me?!"

Lauren reached over to her right forearm and began to untie the bandages slowly. "Remember how I constantly have this arm tied up? Well, I'll show you why." Once the white bandages came off of her arm, her forearm had a slightly large burn scar that took up most of the skin. On top of that scar was a bright blue design that was identical to the ones that the Fairy Mages had on.

"WHAT?! SINCE WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?" Natsu roared in happiness.

Lauren laughed. "Well, almost about several weeks ago. I kept it from you guys because I wanted to surprise you."

"So I guess that means you're officially with Fairy Tail huh?" Gray asked as he hugged me. "I was scared that you were going to leave me."

"As if! Thanks you guys, I'm really happy here. No one has ever loved on me like you Fairies have." The small mage smiled.

Natsu got up on the table and bellowed from the bottom of his lungs. "HEY IT'S PARTY TIME! LAUREN IS NOW OFFICALLY WITH FAIRY TAIL!"

Everyone cheered and gathered around Lauren to congratulate her. Natsu gave her a good slap to the back and Lucy hugged her with all her might. Erza offered her a piece of strawberry cake, but Lauren resisted (since she learned not to touch her cakes, even if she offered). Mira and Lisanna brought out food and beer for everyone to enjoy.

* * *

Freed stormed through the guild and stopped the party. The mages complained and started booing him. Freed ignored them. He held up a small purple woven bracelet. "Who's is this?!" He screamed out. "I demand to know now."

"Hey Lauren, isn't that yours?" Gray walked over to Freed and grabbed it from him.

"Yeah! I've been looking for it!" She turned to the green haired mage. "Thanks man! I've been looking everywhere for it!"

Out of nowhere, he gripped Lauren's neck and lifted her off the ground. Lauren began to gasp for air and her face started to turn a bright red. Gray punched Freed as hard as he could. The green haired mage dropped Lauren and clutched his face.

"This woman is an imposter!"

Gray knelt beside Lauren and comforted her. "Are you alright? Don't worry, I'll protect you." He got up and faced Freed. "What the heck dude?! Don't ever lay a hand on my girlfriend again or I'll kill you."

"She's a traitor! I found that bracelet in the basement near Lumen Histoire." He pointed to the 100 pound mage. "If that's her bracelet, then why was she down in the basement with Lumen Histoire? It can only mean that she is after it and wants it for herself."

"What? I was never down there! Trust me guys!" Lauren pleaded. "I don't know what he is talking about!"

"Face it you guys. She's been playing us all along so she can get her scummy hands on Lumen and use it all for herself. Maybe she had planned on destroying the guild and the little piece of string Gray has in his hands proves that she was down there."

Those words had stabbed Gray in his heart. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Gray wanted fight for Lauren's innocence, but how could he? He looked at the fragile bracelet that was in his hands and turned towards Lauren with cold eyes.

"How could you do this Lauren? You don't have to lie about it."

"What?! Gray, I'm serious when I say this, but I wasn't down in the basement! I've been here the whole time! Why don't you believe me!?" Lauren begged for her life.

Gray threw the bracelet on the floor in front of his girlfriend. "That's why I don't believe you. This is evidence that tells me that you're lying. I honestly can't believe you right now. You call yourself a Fairy Tail wizard? Well do me a favor and wipe that mark off of you. You're a disappointment and you disgust me. I can't believe that I fell in love with a woman like you."

"Gray please… Listen to me…" Lauren's eyes swelled up with tears. She looked around her and noticed that everybody was giving her a death glare. Natsu, Lucy and Erza stared at her with weary eyes.

"Alright, get the girl and lock her away for interrogation." Freed announced.

Elfman and Droy walked over to the fallen girl, picked her up, and held her arms. Lauren mumbled to herself.

"What was that traitor?" Freed growled at her. With his hand, he brought her face up.

"Screw this crappy guild." Lauren whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

She broke free from the two men's grip and smashed her fist into Freed's face. As Elfman tried to hold her down, she jumped and smashed her hand into his throat and rammed her knee into his face. Elfman collapsed unconsciously. Then, Lauren brought her leg up and kicked Droy across his face. When he fell down, Lauren sprinted for the guild's doors. At this point, the guild erupted into chaos.

"Don't let her get away!" Freed called out. "Bring her back to me!"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu cried out. Flames burst through his mouth and towards Lauren.

With great speed, Lauren dodged the fire. The attack had managed to barely miss her and burn a hole through the side of the guild. Taking this as an opportunity to escape, Lauren jumped out of the guild and ran into the city. She sprinted through alleys and crowds of people. She turned around only to see a group of mages tailing her.

"ELECTRICTY SHOCK!" She yelled. Lauren slowed down and punched the floor. Streaks of electrical current flowed towards the group in flash and fried the majority of them into a crisp.

Other's such as Gray, Natsu, Lucy, and Erza had read the attack and jumped before it could toast them. They picked up their pace and continued their pursuit with the traitor.

Gray brought his hands up. "Ice Make Floor!" He placed his hands on the ground and ice began to form on the floor rapidly. Once it had reached Lauren, she slipped and fell to her back. "It's now or never guys!" Gray yelled.

As Natsu was going to catch the girl, she yelled from the top of her lungs. "SHADOW FORM!" Her body sunk into the ground and dissolved into a puddle of shadow. It moved along the ground until it made contact with the shadow a building casted.

"Don't' just stand there! Go after her!" Gray demanded.

"Like how am I supposed to know where she is? She disappeared into the shadows."

Erza spoke quickly and pointed out in front of her. "Use your nose to detect her!"

Natsu took a big whiff of the air and his eyes narrowed. "I got something! Follow me!"

* * *

 **-Lauren's POV-**

My feet began to hit the pavement harder and harder. I had barely managed to escape Natsu and the others, but I knew they were still after me. I turned around a corner and headed for the one place I knew where I could lose them.

Not long, I heard footsteps behind me. I looked back and noticed that the three mages were after me.

 _Crap_ , I thought.

As I kept running, I heard the sound of a train's horn whistle off into the distance. I pumped my arms faster and faster. Soon enough, I spotted a train taking off from the station.

 _I must reach the train…_

Inching closer and closer to my destination, I still could hear the three wizards chasing after me. They were talking amongst themselves, but I couldn't figure out what they were saying.

The train ahead of me was picking up its speed.

 _You can make it Lauren!_

I was getting closer to the train, but it was moving even faster than before.

"Stop Lauren! Don't do it!" Erza cried out. "You'll kill yourself!"

Right when I reached in the station, I sprinted through the crowd and leaped off the platform.

 _Reach the other side…_

"WATCH OUT!" The three Fairy Mages shrieked as they came to a halt.

When I was in mid-air, I looked over to the side and noticed the train speeding towards me _._ My life had flashed before my eyes. From the time I was a small girl playing with my "dad" to the moment I was at, my chest was overwhelming with despair.

I had made it to the other side safely, but part or the train had snagged my shirt and ripped it clean from my body. It had left me in my black sports bra. People around me began to whisper and point to me.

 _I need to get out of here before the train passes. The others will look for me soon after_ , I thought quietly.

I searched around and noticed a teenage boy, around the age of 14 years, holding onto a gray and white hoodie. I swiped it from him and threw it on. The boy began to complain to his parents, but I dodged them by swiftly jumping into a crowd of passengers that just got off the train.

I threw the hoodie over my head and looked ahead of me. I felt tears form around my eyes, but I cleared them away with my sleeves.

 _You knew something like this was going to happen. It happens every time._

"Goodbye Fairies..." I whispered softly as I moved on with my life.


	15. Chapter 15

**-Normal POV-**

After losing sight of the criminal, Gray and the others headed back to Fairy Tail. All the mages, including Makarov, sat down at a large table and they began to discuss the whereabouts of Lauren. Most were infuriated with the imposter, but others were deeply sadden by her actions.

"If it had been something else besides Lumen, we would have let it slide, but this calls for immediate action!" Freed slammed his fists on the table. "She knows about it and she could expose the secrets to anybody."

Makarov brought his hand up. The mages around him grew silent and awaited his response. "There are two options we can do. One, we can send out a group of mages to track her down and bring her back. Two, we can send in a report to the Magic Council and wait for them on the mean time. In my opinion, I say we should go with the second one."

"Gramps! We should send out a team and search! It'll take way too long if we report it to the Council." Levy whined.

Master shook his head. "It will take even longer if we send out a search team. I don't think you were truly aware of this, but that girl is very intelligent. It could take us years or even decades to catch her, so let's send in the report and move on."

Natsu slammed his hands on the table, making it break into two. "How are you so composed old man?! That traitor knows the guild's greatest weapon/secret. You're just going to let it slide like that?!"

"I am the Master and I know what's best. If you really want to capture the girl, then I'll send in the report to the Council. If you all want to send out a search team, the go ahead. Just know that you are going to spend most of your lives searching. So go ahead and choose."

The wizards chattered amongst themselves. They soon bobbed their heads in agreement. "Master, we wish to send in the report like you say." Erza spoke out.

"Great. I'll get the paper work started and have it sent in about a day or two." Master rose from his seat and left.

"Gray, I'm very sorry about Lauren. I know that you loved her." Lucy mentioned apologetically.

"Tch. It's whatever. Once a liar, always a liar." Gray answered coldly. "I'd rather not associate myself with a piece garbage like her." He got up from his seat and exited the room.

"Poor Gray. I know that he is hurting inside. What should we do Erza?" Lucy asked.

"I'm afraid there is not much we can do, but to wait." Erza brought up her hand to her chin and began to think. "I wonder when Freed found that bracelet."

Lucy tilted her head. "Why do you ask?"

"Something is not adding up." Erza responded. She examined the room for Freed. Once she saw him, she waved her hand to him.

"What's the matter Scarlet?" He questioned as he was walking up to the girls.

"When did you find that bracelet?"

"Today around 3 pm. Why do you ask?"

Erza waved her hand. "Nothing. I was just curious that's all."

Freed turned and walked off.

"What are you getting out of this?" Lucy questioned once more. "What's not right?"

"Well the thing is, he said that he found it around 3 pm. Lauren was already in the guild before then."

"But that doesn't necessarily mean anything, she could have snuck in a day before."

"The thing is Freed regularly checks up on Lumen every so often. If she had gone in sooner, she would have set off his traps and Lauren would have been long gone since then, but none were set off." Erza's eyes grew distant as she talked. "Plus she stayed over at my place last night and left around 2:30 pm."

Lucy's eyes grew in shock and uneasiness. "You don't mean to say that she's has been…"

"Framed? I really do believe so." Erza sighed in weariness.

"We have to tell Master and the others!" Lucy shot up from her chair. She felt a pair of hands grip her wrist and pull back down to the chair.

"No Lucy you mustn't. It's all too soon to say anything. If we even mention her name, the others would turn on us." Erza whispered nervously.

"So what now?"

"There's nothing we can do. Lauren is gone. All we have left to do is wait for the report and move on with our lives."

Lucy grabbed Erza by the arm. "But Lauren is family! We can't just push her aside! We have fight for her!"

"It pains me to say this, but I can't do anything. If we look for her, it'll take too long." Erza brought up her hands to her face and wept silently. "Lauren, I'm so sorry we did this to you. Please forgive me…"

Lucy knelt down and gave her a warm hug.

 _Where ever you are Lauren, please stay out of trouble._

* * *

 **-3 Years Later-**

"How much farther are we from the city? We've been walking for ages now!" Natsu complained.

"Shut it Flame Brain! You were the one that wanted to come on this stupid quest." Gray retaliated back.

Erza brought her hand up and pointed to a city about 100 yards from them. "That should be our destination. Let's hurry and get this job taken care of right away."

The four of them ran as fast as they could to the city. As they arrived, an eerie feeling began to overtake their bodies, almost like deja-vu. When they ran through the buildings, they saw not a single citizen. The buildings and homes were either being burned or burnt.

"Hey, do you see that? Someone's there!" Lucy pointed to a tall figure dressed in black standing on top of a hill.

His face was covered in a black mask, which only showed his eyes, and he wore a black muscle shirt with loose jeans. In his hands he held two Molotov's that were lit. He scanned the area and his gaze met the wizards' eyes. From the bottom of his lungs, he howled like a wolf and launched the flaming bombs at them.

The man's weapon didn't exactly reach the team. Natsu and Lucy busted out in laughter.

"What a loser! He thought he could take us on!" Natsu giggled as rolled on the floor.

Gray looked around cautiously. He noticed several shadowy figures moving inside and around the buildings. "Guys, I don't think it was meant to hit us…"

"What do you mean?" Erza answered.

Gray pointed to a burnt building nearby. There stood about 10 people, men and woman, staring at them with vicious eyes. They were all dressed in the same uniform as the lone man. . The team began to back up, but realized that they had been cornered.

One of the warriors brought up a Molotov and lit it on fire. She brought it back behind her and swung it towards the Fairy Tail members.

"WATCH OUT!" Natsu knocked Lucy and Erza over. The bomb had smashed against the wall that was behind them. The fire spread rapidly across the wall and soon engulfed it.

The warriors began to howl and more began to gather up around the team.

"Crap what do we do?" Gray asked as he wiped dirt from his face.

Natsu took a step forward. "These guys are idiots. Remember, I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer. I eat fire!" The pink haired man ran up to the wall and swallowed a mouthful of flames. He burped and cleaned his mouth with his sleeve. "I'm all fired up now! Fire Dra-"

Natsu started to cough violently. He fell to his knees, clutched his neck and gasped for air. The others ran to his side and helped him on his feet.

"NATSU! WHAT'S WRONG?" Lucy cried out.

"This fire… it ain't normal…" Natsu choked between words.

Erza threw him over her shoulders and started to take off. "We need to run away fast. We are heavily outnumbered." Gray and Lucy followed closely behind.

The warriors that surrounded them ran after them. Some followed them through ground and others through the rooftops. Every step they took they howled louder than before.

* * *

The team took a sharp left and they were on their way out from the city. The warriors that were following them threw bombs indirectly to them. As soon as the team reached an exit, the army in black barricaded it off with their own bodies, making the wizards run back.

"It's like they are toying with us." Gray growled. "I can't stand this any longer!" He stopped in his tracks and brought his hands together. "Ice Make Lance!" Ice sprouted from his hands and launched towards a group of warriors.

Most read his attack and dodged it easily. They stood tall and pulled out another set of Molotovs. Just as they were about to light them, a door near them flew open and a semi small woman emerged from the building.

She wore a jet black sleeveless cloak that hung several inches from the ground. She wore a white shirt, black jeans, and a pair of combat boots, which were tied lazily. Also, each of her forearms were bandaged up. The woman had an enormous scar that marked from her left temple to the bottom of her cheek. Her brown with golden blonde streaked hair was tied up in a high pony tail. She had a brown sack that was slung over her back.

When Gray saw the woman, his eyes grew and tears formed around them. "I-s that-t you?"

"Wow what are the odds? Who would've thought I'd end up seeing ya'll here." She replied in astonishment. "It's like deja-vu all over again!"

"Remember about two years ago?! We proved your innocence!" Lucy began. "Thanks to Erza, you're welcome back to the guild."

"We have to leave right away because it's not safe!" Gray spoke desperately. "These guys are trying to kill us and Natsu ate some fire that is slowly killing him." Gray ran to her and tried to grab onto her.

Two warriors jumped between them, guarding the woman. The lady leaned in each of their ears and muttered a couple words. They nodded and took a couple steps to the side.

"No thank you. I'm fine where I'm at. Of course Natsu would eat the flame." She walked over to Natsu, who was coughing violently, and grabbed his hair. "Those Molotovs are not very pure at all. If anything, I doubt they are pure. If any of it gets into your system, it'll surely kill you." She let go of his head and walked away. "But you're a strong guy, so hopefully, you'll manage."

"What's the deal Lauren? He's dying and that's all you have to say to your friend?" Gray snapped.

Lauren began to laugh until tears flowed from her eyes. "Friend you say? I'd love to break it to you, but I have no friends. I never did to begin with."

"What about the guild? You still have us!" Erza pleaded.

Lauren waved her hand in the hair. "Fairy Tail? Oh that pile of crap place, you mean? After what they did to me years ago, they mean nothing to me. After all, it's just another guild that met my needs."

"That mark… on… your arm…" Natsu croaked in pain.

"Right, right. I almost forgot about that." Lauren reached over to her right forearm and untied the tape off her arm. There were bright red and purple burn marks that were etched into her soft skin. Lauren giggled villainously then roared out in laughter. "I singed that crappy design from my body the day I was ran off from that place. Weren't ya'll the ones to tell me to wipe it off?"

"What happened to you Lauren?" Lucy asked in fear.

"Fairy Tail happened." Lauren calmly responded back. "But I genuinely have to thank you guys because I think I made the most important decision of my life that day."

"That is?" Erza and Gray spoke in unison.

Lauren smiled maliciously. Her eyes looked as if they were turning colors. "Switching over to the other side."

"The other side?"

"Come on guys. Don't act like you don't know." Lauren bandaged her arm and spoke coldly. "What I want to say is that…" Lauren held up her hand. The warriors around the 5 mages took out small daggers and got into a fighting position. "I've decided to live my life with darkness by my side."


	16. Chapter 15 (Side)

**-Gray's POV -**

"Hey Lauren? What happened to you?" I asked as I brushed my fingers past my girlfriend's cheek. "It looks like you haven't gotten any sleep lately."

Half asleep, she rubbed her red eyes. "I'm okay. I've just been having trouble sleeping. I haven't been feeling well lately."

"I know something that will make you feel better…"

"What's that?"

I picked her up princess style and twirled her around. She wrapped her arms around my neck and laughed playfully. I set her down on her feet and leaned in to her perfect soft face. Our lips locked. We were in that position or about several seconds before she pulled away.

I closed my eyes and touched my forehead against hers. "You know that I love you, right?"

"Yeah, I know." She replied nervously.

"I know that you can't say those words yet, but that doesn't matter to me. I swear to love and protect you with all my heart." I whispered softly.

"Why would you do that for me? We've only known each other for a few months." She pushed me away gently.

"True, but there's no doubt that I do love you. When I first saw you, I didn't like you. But after we started talking, I really hated you." I cooed jokingly.

Lauren sneered. "Well jeez… so much for being sentimental."

"Let me finish…" I held her hand and twirled her around. Then, I wrapped my arms behind her and brought her in close to my body. "It all changed when we went on that job request Gramps sent us. I heard you cry that night and to be honest, it really bugged me. Then after that party, when those guys tried to have their way with you, which really made me super angry. Alright, I was being a jerk afterwards, or the whole time, but I was just trying to look out for you. And when I heard you cry and puke your guts out on later that night, I wanted to be by your side."

"I never told you this, but that Guild Master dude threw himself on me." She whispered quietly as she squeezed my arms. "It was kind of nasty."

"These are the things I need to know, Lauren. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I panicked…"

I hugged her harder. "Well now you have me. I'll protect you from those thirsty guys. I won't let them hurt you."

"Gray?"

"Yes love?"

She fidgeted around in my arms for a bit and sighed. She hesitated for a bit, but kept her composure. "It's nothing."

I turned her around and looked into her big brown eyes. "You know you can tell me anything right? I am your boyfriend after all."

She bit her lip and looked away. "I…" she sighed and met my eyes. "I think that I really like you."

"Silly…" I threw my arms to her and shoved her into my chest for a hug. "I know you do." I kissed the top of her head.

 _Dang it Lauren_ , I thought angrily. _What were you going to tell me?!_

 _._

 _._

"Hey Ice Freak, what's wrong with Lauren?" Natsu asked.

"What do you mean? She isn't here." Gray responded. Natsu pointed over to the guild door as a small brunette walked in.

Lauren's face as she walked into the guild showed agony. She took a seat next to Wendy and rubbed her right forearm, which was bandaged. Wendy looked at her in worry and pointed up stairs. Lauren nodded and Wendy stood up and walked up those stairs.

"What happened to her arm?"

I shook my head in disbelief. "I'm not sure, but when we went out a couple days ago, she had it wrapped up. She said she was fine."

"You don't you check up on her then." Nastu winked at me. "She's your girl right?"

"Shut up." I rolled my eyes and walked to Lauren. When I walked up to her, her eyes were slightly watery. She was clutching her arm in pain. When she saw me, she quickly wiped her tears away and fixed her posture.

"You alright? You look like you're in pain?"

"I'm alright. My arms just bothering me. Wendy said she'll patch it up for me, so there's nothing to worry about."

"That's good to hear! What exactly happened?" I questioned.

"Well…" She looked at the floor beneath her. "I was cooking and managed to knock off a pot of oil off the stove. My reflexes kicked in and I tried to snatch the pot before it fell to the floor."

"You're so stupid." I giggled to myself.

"Thanks." She gazed up at the stairs and noticed Wendy waving to her. Lauren lifted her body up from the chair and headed to the room where the mage was. "I'll see you in a bit."

I followed closely behind her. "Nah. I'm coming with you."

"Whatever." She replied.

.

.

"You are all good to go!" Wendy exclaimed in eagerness. "You know, if you would have come and saw me sooner, your burn wouldn't have scarred that pretty skin of yours."

"Thank you for your help and I know. I thought I could handle the pain, but today I was nearly at my breaking point."

"Well let me give you some medication for the pain." Wendy shifted around the infirmary. "It looks like I don't have it here. Hang tight until I get back with some more medicine." She turned for the door. "Gray, have her sit still please? I'll be right back!"

I waved to her. When she left, I crossed my arms and sat in a chair nearby the bed Lauren was perched up on. "So the Great Lauren Guerrero can't handle a bit of pain?"

"Shut up. I can handle lots of things." She pouted. "I hate taking medication."

"But you know it's beneficial for you right? It'll help alleviate the pain you can't take anymore." I teased.

Lauren glared at me with her dagger like eyes. "You look a lot cuter when your mouth is shut."

"Ha! So you admit that I'm cute?"

Lauren's face blushed a shade of pink. "You're annoying."

"I'm just messing around! Anyways, so can I have my answer yet?"

"No. Leave me alone."

"Why do you always sat that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I leaned forward in my chair in frustration. "You always say leave me alone and you act like everything is fine, when in reality, you know that it's not."

"That's because you don't know me well enough to understand anything about me. So please butt out of my business."

"You're so stubborn I swear. You should really rely on others sometimes. You cannot always go through hardships alone. That's why you have me and the others. Just like right now, you asked Wendy for help and she gave it to you. It should always be like that for anything."

Lauren got up and headed for the door. "You're super freaking nosy. Later Ice Freak."

I ran up to her and picked her up. She yelped in surprise and tried to fight me off. I plopped her right back down onto the bed. "You're not going anywhere until Wendy gives you that medicine."

"Who do you think you are?!" She growled at me.

"I'll be your boyfriend, that's who."

Shocked at the words that came from my mouth, Lauren blushed and looked away. "Why are you fixated on becoming my boyfriend? I'm not even going to be here for long?"

I smiled at her cheekily. "I can handle long distance relationships. Plus you admitted that I was cute so…"

"That doesn't mean anything if your personality sucks."

"You suck." I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Freak."

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm going to say this again, I love you. Like I said several days ago, I hate how you're always by yourself. I really hate when you're suffering all alone, especially right now. I want to protect you. Please let me be by your side."

"You're really persistent you know? For some reason, you really confuse me." She smiled softly. "What if I say yes?"

"I'll be super happy."

"And if I say no?"

"I'll keep bothering you until you give in."

"I guess that leaves me no choice…" She sighed and grabbed the pillow that was behind her. She brought it to her body and hugged it tightly. "You can be my boyfriend…" Her voice grew quiet as her stuffed her face into the pillow.

I laughed and sat next to her on the bed. With my hands, I gently lifted her head up. "Thank you." I leaned in and kissed her passionately. Her lips filled my body with warmness. I began to gnaw at her bottom lip. She greedily started to kiss me more.

"Ahem." A voice called as that persons hand knocked on the door.

I jumped off the bed and into the seat. I hid my bright red face from Wendy. "Got the medicine?"

"Sure do. Here you are, just make sure to take two pills every 6 hours. I doubt you'll need it now since…" She stared me with playful eyes.

Lauren grabbed the pills from Wendy's hands. "Thank you." She nervously responded as her face flushed red.

"Well, I'll leave you too be. I have more important things to do." She winked at me and exited the room.

"That was… embarrassing…" I hid my face into my hands. "Never would I have thought something like that would happen." I swiveled my body towards Lauren.

She looked at me and laughed. I hadn't noticed, but her smile was mind blowing. It finally had seemed that she was happy for once. She face glowed brightly and her hair flowed smoothly down the right side of her body.

 _I can't believe she's my girl…_

* * *

My eyes fluttered open. I rubbed my eyes and sat up in bed.

 _Lauren…_

I laid back down and remembered the most amazing memories that flowed rapidly through my mind. I felt as if I had lost the best thing in my life. She was with me one moment and gone the next. I could feel my heart ripping into two from the betrayal. My mind and heart were battling in this difficult situation. While my mind said no, my heart said yes.

Safe to say, I was still in love with her.

.

.

.

 **Not yo confuse you all, this is like a filler. It takes place a few days right after Lauren's departure. (Chapter 14 i think?"**

 **Anyways, I hope yall are enjoying the story so far :)**


	17. Chapter 16

"You're joking right? That can't be true!" Lucy yelled out in terror.

"Well you better believe it." Lauren responded. "Nothing you say or do won't bring me back. I'm still the old me, but just on the other side. I haven't lost sight of my goals."

"What goals?" Gray butted in. "Lauren come on! Snap out of it! We really want you back!" He desperately begged.

Lauren shook her head and sat the brown back that was thrown over her shoulders on the floor. "Don't talk to me. It was a mistake to trust you. I sincerely thought you were going to protect me, but it all backfired. If anything, you were the first to throw me under the bus." Lauren gazed up at the sky. "You're name isn't worth mentioning because you're worse than crap." She leaned down and picked up the sack. "I have to run now. Nice seeing ya'll."

"What's in the bag Lauren?" Erza spoke.

"It's not your concern."

"Just tell us!"

"I'm on a mission at the moment." Lauren plopped the bag over her shoulders. "I'm stealing money and destroying cities. I do what I have to do."

"I don't care if you were once with us, but I'm going to have to stop you." Erza growled furiously.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure." Lauren pointed to Natsu. "Your buddy there is dying and I don't think you want him to die. He's kind of important to you right?"

Natsu coughed violently until blood seeped from his mouth. "Don't worry… about me…"

Gray took a step forward and drew out his hands. "She's right. Natsu here is dying. He's our main priority."

"What about Lauren?" Lucy asked.

Gray kept his mouth shut. His body was swelling from emotions. No matter what his choice was, the fragile woman was right. Natsu had to be the priority. "Come on. We have to get Flame Brain here to Wendy."

"That's what I thought." Lauren gave them a friendly smile. "I'll see you guys later. Because next time we meet, it'll be all over for you guys."

Lucy's eyes were filled with sorrow. She started off towards Lauren, but was held back by the Ice Mage. "Lauren… What happened to you…? Why would you do this?" She cried.

Lauren turned her heels and walked off. "I've told you before, you Fairies did this to me." She curled up her hand and threw it up to the sky. "Vamonos muchachos." She howled from the top of her lungs. The Fairy mages looked at each other in confusion. Not only did she side with evil, but she knew a strange language. It was not one that the Fairies recognized.

The hundred and so warriors that surrounded the 4 wizards began to dispel themselves in groups of about 10. Too shocked to fight back, the mages collected themselves and headed back home.

* * *

 **-Couple Days Later-**

Natsu jolted from his seat and slammed his fists on the table. "Look. We have Jellal now. He can give us information and we can search on our own."

The blue haired mage lowered his head. "It's against the rules, but I'll provide what I can so you guys can get your friend back."

"Wouldn't that get you kicked out?" Erza asked.

"Not really. I'll get suspended, but it's not big a deal." Jellal pulled out a small binder with the words confidential and slide it across the table to Natsu. "Here's all the information I have on Lauren Guerrero."

Everyone in Fairy Tail looked at each other in uneasiness. Lauren's secrets were finally going to be revealed and they were here to witness it. Natsu gingerly took custody of the binder and slowly flipped it open. There was a picture of a small brown and blonde haired girl smiling. The Magic Council must have taken it when she wasn't paying attention because in the background there were people and other things going on. His eyes fluttered down the page, trying to find any little detail of her past.

"Why is it blank?" The pink haired mage growled.

Jellal stood from his seat and wandered to the front of the guild. "After doing intensive research on her, nothing from her past comes up. All we know that she was once an orphan, adopted when she was about 7, and traveled alone since the age of 12. Anything else about her, we do not have the slightest clue."

"What the heck man! Aren't you supposed to have all sorts of info on this chick?"

"All we have so far is that she isn't in any sort of guild at the moment. Not even in a dark one. She is jumping guild to guild only for the sake of money."

Lucy scratched her head. "That's strange because she told us about that. She's been to many guilds, but why doesn't she join them? My real question is why did she go dark?"

"She has joined dark guilds because they reward larger sums of money than regular ones. Of course you know, dark guilds do the dirty work. And to answer your first question, I don't know either."

"She mentioned something about it not being safe." Gray blurted out loud. Everyone grew quiet and listened. "The day I asked her out, she mentioned a couple of things. She was adopted but her dad left her. She had been guild hopping since she was 17, and she came from a city called Blackiron. I questioned if she had a mission, but denied it. To be honest, she was acting real shady if you ask me."

"I remember her saying that she had goals, but are they?" Erza added.

"This information is new to me. I'll see what I can do. I have to leave at once. I was informed a couple days ago that Lauren is going to strike again, but I'm not sure where. Until we meet again." Jellal spoke. He grabbed the binder and walked out of the guild.

As soon as Jellal walked out, the wizards relaxed and slouched in their seats.

Makarov stood on the table and pointed to the Fire Dragon Slayer. "You boy, assemble a team and head out. I need you guys to check out Blackiron. Ask any of its citizens about the girl."

"Alright! It's about time we did something!" Natsu screamed in joy. "Let's head out team!"

Makarov handed Erza a map. "Blackiron is about an hour walk from the Magic Council, so you should have get there safely. Now begone children."

* * *

Erza, Lucy, Gray, and Natsu gathered their items and set off towards their destination. During the train ride, Gray held a small bracelet in his hand. He softly glared at it then gazed outside the window. The night sky was taking over the horizon. He couldn't help but to think if this is what Lauren felt like. Darkness slowly taking over until there was not a slight bit of light left. Gray squeezed the fragile string in his hands and closed his eyes.

 _That man… who is he…?_

 _._

 _._

 _._

 **That last part, if you don't remember, reread Chapter 11. ;)**


	18. Chapter 17

**-Lauren's Pov-**

Behemoth's guild master stood up from his chair. He angrily stuck out a piece of paper to me. "You have a new job. Get going or no pay."

I snatched it from him. My eyes wandered around the beige sheet. It was a mission to infiltrate the Magic Council. I don't know I was going to do this, but it was definitely a suicide mission. "How do you expect me to do this?"

"You have Shadow Magic. Use it."

"It's not that simple." I added. "To stay in shadow form takes a lot of-" I felt a pair of hands grip the color of my shirt. I was suddenly lifted off the ground like a pair of shoes.

"Look here girl. Do your job. I don't care how, but you're going to do it." He growled under his breath. "I need all the information of the guilds listed on that paper. If you can do that, good for you. If you fail, I'll have you killed in an instant." He put me down and shoved me away from him.

"Tch. Whatever. I'm just doing it for the money." I grabbed my belongings and headed out for my job.

* * *

I carefully sneaked up to a gray castle like building. I leaned against it and peered my head around a corner. I noticed a guard was keeping watch of his area.

 _Gotta take him out_ , I thought. _Sorry man…_

I silently tip toed behind him and wrapped my arms around his neck. I threw my hand over his mouth. He began to struggle for several seconds. Each second that ticked by, he began to lose his strength. After about a minute, his body laid lifeless in my arms. I placed him down next to the building.

 _Don't think too much of it… Focus._

I looked up and noticed a window right above me. It looked like it was about 10 stories high. "Shadow Form." I whispered body sunk and formed into a cloud of black light. I flowed up the castle and snuck into the cracks of the window. When I got through, my body transformed back to itself. "Well… what do you know…?" I looked around and noticed hundreds of filing cabinets stacked on top of each other. It was like a great big maze inside a building. I pulled out the list from my back pocket and began to search for each guild.

Every time I found a guild, I crossed it off my list and neatly placed the documents into my backpack. There were some that I had never heard of such as Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, and Blue Pegasus. When I reached down to the last guild, my heart plummeted to the floor.

Fairy Tail.

I walked around nervously. I arrived to the cabinet. I propped it open and shuffled through the files. My fingers glided to the right file and I pulled it up. I took a big gulp of air. My hands shook.

 _I don't understand why this is affecting me so much._ I glared at it with uneasiness. _I think I should…_

My hand glued itself to the cover of manila folder and flipped it. The next thing I knew, my eyes were reading every single detail about my former guild. As I kept reading, my heart was pounding with excitement and anxiety. I reached about halfway the document and my heart broke in half. Tears of anger ran down my face. I clutched the file in my hand so hard, that I nearly tore it into several different pieces.

 _So the rumors are true after all._

"INTERUDER ALERT. INTRUDER ALERT."

Lights around me began to flash red and sirens wailed. I crammed the file into my backpack and ran to the window. A dozen guards popped out from behind a filing cabinet and blocked off my escape route. They aimed their spears at me.

"Stay where you are and no one gets hurt." One of the men demanded.

I shook my head. "No can do buddy." I turned and ran from the opposite direction.

"After her! Call for back up!" The guards chased me down. I ran up and down the maze of metal blocks, trying to lose them. I eventually reached the front door and busted through.

It was a big mistake.

The hallway was crowded with at least a hundred guards. Several of them launched spears and arrows towards my direction. Others ran up to attack me. Again, I turned my heels and ran for my life. Arrows and spears whizzed past me. I looked up ahead and I saw a window about 30 meters from where I was.

 _Go for it._

I sprinted in a zig zag motion as hard as I could. Cramps where growing throughout my body. Out of nowhere, I felt a sharp pain in my right calf and my left shoulder blade. I groaned in pain. I didn't have to look to see what had happened. Two arrows had pierced through my skin. I could feel my warm blood trickle down my leg and my back. Every step that I took, my body screamed with agony.

Determined to make it to the window, I closed my eyes and continued my sprint. I was now 3 meters from my destination. "Here goes nothing!" I stuck my shoulder out and rammed it into the stained glass that stood in my way. I opened my eyes and looked down.

I was dropping to my death.

I was free falling at an alarming rate. Just before reaching the grassy floor, I muttered several words to myself. The ground beneath turned soft like a cloud, which eased my landing. It wouldn't have been so bad if I had not landed on my back. The two arrows that were once on my back, were now pushed to the front of my body.

"AGGHH!" I shrieked. I laid on the cold floor still. My body that was once in agony was now on fire.

 _There's no time to cry! Get up now Lauren!_

I slowly picked myself up. There was thick red liquid oozing from my body. I saw the two projectiles that were at one point on my body, now laying on the floor covered in blood. They went right through my body cleanly.

"Fire!" A guard shouted from the top of the building. Without much thought, I ran into a forest nearby, escaping my death once more.

* * *

After traveling through the forest for about an hour, I finally reached a dirt road. I looked right and left and tried to figure out which way to go. If I chose wrong, then I'd end up back at the Magic Council. I sighed and turned to my left. At this point, there was nothing else that could go wrong. I knew from this day forward I was now a wanted man.

I knelt down and took a quick look at my wounds. I had managed to stop the bleeding with a rope I found in the forest. They were healing quicker than usual. The hole in my left shoulder was closed up, but still a bit raw. The one on my calf was still bleeding. I reached into my backpack and bandaged it up well. If there was one thing that I could thank the man I was looking for, it was for this magic.

I got up and walked down the lonely path. Not long, I ran into several wizards. From a distance the looked like strangers, but as they got closer, they looked rather familiar. "There's only one guy I know that has pink hair, and that's…" I choked on my words.

I reached into my bag. I pulled out a cloak. I threw it on quickly and pulled the cover over my head. I walked on the opposite side of the road. The distance between got closer.

"Excuse me! Do you know where I can find Blackiron?" The blonde girl asked as we brushed past each other.

I kept my head down and responded calmly. "Keep following this road. You'll be there soon."

"Thank you! Um… you look like you're severely hurt. Do you need help? Wendy here is a medic. She can patch you up quickly."

"No thanks." I picked up my pace and left them behind. After I had lost sight of them, I took the hood off of me. "Why are they headed to Blackiron?"

* * *

 **-Gray's POV-**

Lucy furrowed her eyes as the woman walked away. "I was just trying to help. She was covered in blood."

Erza shook her head. "It's better not to mess with people like her. For all we know, she could have killed someone. We just have to leave them be."

Natsu's fists combusted into flames. "I'll just have to knock some sense into her."

I hissed at Natsu. "Cut it out idiot! Didn't you just listen to Erza?"

"Shut it Princess! Besides…" Natsu's expression changed to a more serious one. "She had a very familiar scent, but I can't figure out who it's from."

"There's no point in trying to figure it out. She's gone now." I said. "Let it go Natsu."

The 5 of us started down the path. Natsu, who carrying Wndy piggyback style, and Lucy were talking like always, and Erza was leading. Wendy was asleep on Natsu's back. I lowered my head and closed my eyes. I curled my fists and brought then to my face in frustration.

"What have you done Lauren?"


	19. Chapter 18

**-Normal POV-**

Jellal sat down at one of Fairy Tail's tables. He brought his hands up to his chin and rested his head. "I apologize for cutting your trip short, but I assume you all know why brought you here back to the guild. Lauren had breached the Council and stole confidential files from several guilds, including yours. We don't know why or where she has taken them, but hopefully they do not fall into the wrong hands."

"Dang it! She's not a person you can trust! It'll most likely fall into the wrong hands! If anything, they already fell into the wrong hands." Natsu said angrily. "We have to do something now. I can't just stand and watch."

"Under these circumstances, it would not be allowed, but since it involves the invasion of privacy, especially when it contains vital information, we are indeed allowed to let the guilds to step in." Jellal looked over his shoulders. "But only if your Master gives you permission."

Makarov closed his eyes for several seconds. He opened them and gazed to his children. "I do give my consent."

"Good." Jellal stood up and handed Erza a clean sheet of paper with scribbles written all over. "Here is the information I have on Lauren. If I am correct, we are most likely going to intercept here without a doubt. She has been seen coming out of this place numerous times over the course of three years."

Gray picked himself from the seat and snagged the paper from Erza. His eyes read up and down the page. He shoved it back to the scarlet haired mage and walked off in a hurry.

"Hey Gray! Where are you going?! We aren't done talking!" Lucy called after him. The black haired mage stopped and turned towards his friends.

"You guys want to go after Lauren right? Well now is our chance. The more time we spend here, the less time we have. I don't know about you, but I want to bring her back and I'm certain that you all feel the same."

"Gray…" Lucy said with comforting eyes.

Natsu smiled at roared from the top of his lungs. "Alright! Operation Save/Stop Lauren is a go! Let's move out team!"

Erza followed Gray. She leaned and whispered into his ear. "I know you still love her. Don't worry, we will do everything to get her back."

Gray lowered his eyes. He smiled weakly and met Scarlet's eyes. "I really do hope so. Hey Erza, don't tell anyone this but I saw a man…"

* * *

 **-Next Day in the Evening-**

Team Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy all cowered across the street from a shady looking building. Not long, a small woman walked on the other side of the street. She was carrying a small gym bag. She walked up to the building and a man that was about three times her size emerged from the shadows. He looked at her and nodded his head. The man opened the door for her and she snuck in.

"Alright, this is how it's going to go. Natsu, Lucy, and Gray, you three are going to sneak in and follow Lauren. Gajeel, Wendy, and I will stay out here and stay on guard. If she tries to escape, we will be here to stop her." Erza said confidentially. "If anything goes wrong, you know what to do."

"I'm all fired up! Come on guys, let's go!" The three mages snuck around the building and entered through the back door. They kept their heads down as people brushed past them. Lucy managed to find a steel ladder that let up to the lighting of the building. She pointed up and climbed the stairs. The two boys followed closely behind her. When they reached the top, they walked across an aisle filled with wires and spotlights.

"Look!" Gray whispered as he pointed over the edge of the railway. Natsu and Lucy looked over. The girl that they were after was standing in the middle of a stage. She was wearing her usual shit V-neck and sweats. The only thing that was different about her was that she had her arms and hands taped up. There was also a man in a pair of shades standing next to her, holding a microphone.

He brought it to his mouth. "WELCOME LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! TONIGHT'S MAIN EVENT MAY BE THE BEST YET WE HAVE HAD! THINGS WILL GO A BIT DIFFERENT THIS TIME SINCE ONE OF THE FIGHTER'S COULD NOT MAKE IT TONIGHT. THE LAST EVENT WILL BE A SURVIVAL MODE. OUR FAMOUS FIGHTER OF ALL TIME, THE INFAMOUS KOMODO, WILL BE TAKING ON MULTIPLE FIGHTERS. AS SHE DEFEATS ONE, THE NEXT ONE COMES ALONG AND SHE WILL CONTINUE THE FIGHT."

The three mages were appalled at what the man said. "I don't understand what is going on here… Main event? Komodo? Survival mode?" Natsu whispered.

"Neither do I." Lucy added as she leaned over the railing to get a better look. "What exactly is this place?"

"This is a fight club…" Gray interrupted. "But why is she here? More importantly, is she going to survive?"

"IF KOMODO HERE MANAGES TO DEFEAT ALL THE OPPONENTS THAT CHALLENGE HER, SHE WILL WALK AWAY WITH A WHOPPING TOTAL OF 10 MILLION JOULES! BUT IF SHE IS DEFEATED IN THE PROCESS, THAT LUCKY OPPONENT WILL WALK AWAY WITH IT ALL." The man turned to Lauren and shook her hand. "BEST OF LUCK TO YOU JAGUAR."

Lauren walked to opposite side of the stage and waited for the match to begin. Suddenly, a herd of men poured out from the crowd and stood in a single file line on the opposite side of the stage.

Lucy covered her mouth. Her eyes widened in terror. "Guys, we have to do something. She's going to get herself killed."

Natsu grabbed the railing. "I'm going to help her. She won't last a match. I mean look at her! She's a walking toothpick!" As he was about to jump over, Gray gripped his shoulder and made him sit down.

"No. We need to watch her. We need to know her motives. As far as we know, Lauren isn't the woman she claimed to be. If there are that many guys forming a line to fight her, then that should tell you how strong she is." He crouched down next to Natsu and examined the girl from afar.

 _What is the real Lauren Guerrero like?_

* * *

 **-Lauren's POV-**

I shook my arms to loosen them up. I stared across the stage and I noticed a line of men forming a line. There were about over 20 men standing, all waiting to fight me. I closed my eyes and looked up towards the ceiling. "Remember, you're doing it for him." I said to myself. A stench arose from the stage. It was one that was very familiar to me. I sighed in frustration.

"FIGHTERS, TAKE YOUR PLACES!"

I opened my eyes and walked forward about 10 steps. A man about 5 foot 6 inches stood about 20 meters across from me. His mean eyes were looking into my soul. I could tell that that man was hungry for money. He tightened his gloves and pointed to me. He gave me a thumbs up, but then turned his hand upside down.

"LET THE MATCH COMMENCE!"

The man from the other side began to charge at me with amazing speed. I stood there calmly with my hands to my side. He was getting closer and closer. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my moves. The man yelled and his fist launched out to me.

I quickly opened my eyes open and stepped to the side. I crouched down and swung my leg up to his face. My foot had cleanly connected across his jaw. The man grunted and collapsed to the floor. He was out cold.

The crowd jumped and screamed with excitement. Their screams were so loud that they were drowning out my thoughts. Another man, who was a bit taller than the last, caught me off guard. His arms and legs were swinging all over the place, trying to desperately beat me. I side stepped and dodged every move he threw at me. After one his kicks nearly hit me, I decided it was time to counter. I threw a fake punch to him and my left leg launched itself for his chest. He grabbed it and twisted it. Now my back was facing to him, with my leg extended backwards.

 _Think fast Lauren!_

I rocked my body forward with an extreme amount of momentum. I attempted at a front flip and my right leg had made contact with the bottom of his chin. He let go of me and I retaliated quickly. I jabbed his stomach several times. He threw a punch at me blindly, but I dodged it and elbowed him in the back on his neck. He fell to the floor and laid motionless.

At this point, the crowd was losing their minds. They all began to chant "Komodo" and pumped their fists in the air. Many of them took out their cellphones and cameras to record the fight. Some were so desperate to watch that they were climbing on top of people to get a better view.

Another man appeared right in front of my sight and punched me. His fist scraped my cheek. I leaned backwards and tornado kicked him right across his face. He didn't stand a chance. More men began to pour themselves into line. They were all itching to fight me. They all wanted that money.

Suddenly, I heard a girl screech from the top of her lungs. I looked up and saw a blonde hair girl hanging from the balcony, along with two other boys. She tried to reach for one of them, but lost her grip. She fell and crashed among a pile of cardboard boxes. She groaned and crawled out from them.

"Well, well, look at that… A pretty little lady." One man in line said in a perverted manner. "Looks like she's mine now." As he walked towards her, the girl moved backwards until the wall behind her stopped he path.

Without thinking, I stepped in front of her and pointed to the man. "If you want her, you have to get through me."

The man laughed and glared at me. "With pleasure sweetie." He launched himself at me.

I looked back and stared at the frightened woman. "You know Lucy, next time you try to spy on me, at least be secretive about it. Stay put and don't move. I'll protect you." I looked forward and closed my eyes.

 _Sorry for this this, but I have no choice, but to rely on this._

I opened them back up and my body felt refreshed. I gazed up at the man running towards me. He was determined at first, but his eyes were changing into a look of uncertainty.

"What the heck are you?" He asked as he shuffled backwards in terror. "What is this presence I feel?"

I smiled and looked into his soul. "I'm the infamous Komodo and you just made the worst mistake of your life."

* * *

 **-Gray's POV-**

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I held Natsu back. "Hey Flame Brain. Do you sense that?"

He struggled for a bit, but then relaxed. "Yeah… That's weird. It's like as if Gildarts were here. Where's it coming from? Is it coming from Lauren?"

"I don't know, but it has to be. Look at that guy. He's scrambling back and Lauren hasn't done anything to him. Look at the line too. It all dwindled down to 5 guys."

Natsu tilted his head. "What the heck is going on here?!"

"I don't know, but we need to watch. The Komodo is going to strike at any moment now."

.

.

.

 **Sorry for any errors of any kind. I typed this for like a straight hour and my eyes hurt now xD enjoy!**


	20. Chapter 19

**-Lauren's POV-**

The man, who stood in front of me, now had vanished. He saw so terrified that he left the scene in an instant. From the corner of my eyes, I noticed the two mages jump from the ceiling. They walked their way to Lucy and knelt beside her.

 _Idiots_ , I thought. _I swear they always meddle into other people's business._

By this time, there was not one person left in line. I relaxed for a moment, but then a man walked up to the stage. He was about 7 feet tall with black buzzed hair, and weighed about 250 pounds of pure muscle. His veins popped out from his skin, which was heavily covered in tattoos. He glared at me with eyes of a starving tiger. He flexed his arms and yelled to the sky. The crowd jumped with exhilaration.

I took a deep breath and charged to him. As I got closer, his smile grew darker and darker. Instead of jumping to strike, like I had planned, I slid underneath his legs, ran up the wall that was behind him, turned my body, and struck the back of his stubby neck with my elbow. He grunted and clutched his neck. Too confident in my attack, I failed to realize that he swung his other arm behind him. He caught me in midair, swayed me forward, and slammed me to the floor.

My back hit the ground with tremendous force that I heard a piercing crack coming from my back. I couldn't scream in agony because the wind was knocked out from my body. I tried to pick myself up as quickly as possible, but the man had landed a kick to my face. I rolled several feet back and laid on my stomach. Blood was now oozing some place from my head, but I couldn't tell where. This time he gave me a chance to stand and fight.

The man laughed, turned his back to me, and raised his hands to the crowd. People were cheering like maniacs.

 _Play time is over._

I closed my eyes and focused my magic to the fractured bone in my spine. I opened them back up and stared at the man, who was still facing towards the crowd. I took a step forward and sprinted as fast I could to him. I stood to the man, who was now in front of me, and gave him an upper cut to his chin. He was knocked backwards and lost his balance. I switched up my fighting style at this point. I got on top of him and started to land punches where ever I could. I got him several times in the gut, chest, and face. All the giant could do was cover his face.

The man blindly threw a punch out. I dodged it, but with his free arm, to held on to my arm and twisted it. My body went sideways and I fell to the floor. He got behind me, wrapped his arm, around my neck and began to squeeze has hard as he could.

My breathing moved faster and my vision began to blur. I scratched to get the man's arms off, but he didn't budge. I could hear him laughed like a psycho behind me. He gripped tighter and tighter with every second that was going by.

I extended my bruised up out in front on me. I pointed to the three mages that were staring at me with petrified eyes. I noticed my ex-lover standing in horror. Natsu was holding him back, preventing him to get in the way. I smiled and mouthed the words, "I'm sorry", to them. Their eyes grew in shock.

My vision was nearly black and my strength was dwindling. My eyes came to a close and my mind drifted. Images of what I thought my parents looked like came to mind. I was going to see them soon. Memories I had with my adoptive father came to mind. The great times we spent together warmed my heart. Suddenly, scenes of all the horrid things he did to me and my home, flashed before my mind.

My blood began to boil. The strength that I no longer had, now returned to me 5 times more than before. I felt a pair of hands touch my face. My eyes fluttered opened and I noticed the person I most loved standing right before me. He cupped my face and smiled.

"Don't give up. I know you can do this…" He whispered softly. He disappeared and all I was left looking at was the tree wizards in front of me.

"I'm not going down like this…" I sneered cockily. I brought my hands up to the man's arm, which were still around my neck. I gripped and pulled his arm out. I freed myself and threw a devastating blow to his neck with my elbow. The giant stumbled backwards, leaned forward, and coughed violently. I ran up to him and kneed him right in his nose. The man fell backwards and laid on the floor.

I stared at him with cold piercing eyes. I looked behind my shoulders and the three mages stood with their mouths open in shock. Lucy weakly gave me a thumbs up. She smiled, but then her eyes grew in horror once more. She pointed right past me. I rapidly looked back and noticed the man was right in front of me.

In desperation he threw himself on me. He landed on my back, but I was supporting him, trying to keep myself from being smashed like a roach. He was putting all his weight into me. My thin legs beneath me shook unstably. My back was aching in pain.

 _Here goes nothing…_

I picked up the man, who was now on my back. As I lifted him up, I was shrieking in utmost pain. I walked over to the edge of the stage, which was not too far from where I was, and launched him off me. As the man flew from my back, the crowd of people who were directly under us, scattered in every direction. The giant landed on the floor and laid motionless.

The crowd stood silently at what just happened. I could feel their eyes burning onto my skin. I stood staring back at them as I panted.

The announcer came out from the shadows and brought out his mic. "THE INFAMOUS KOMODO HAS WON ALL 10 MILLION JOULES! SHE IS THE FIERCEST FIGHTER THAT HAS EVER SET FOOT IN HERE." The man handed me a sack full of money. "Here kid, you deserve it."

I snatched the bag from him. I turned my back to the man and made way to the wizards, who were waiting patiently. I grabbed Lucy's hand. "Let's go now." I demanded. I pulled her off the stage and walked through the crowd. With every step we took, people moved out the way, paving a path to the entrance.

We finally exited the building and I took off. The mages screamed behind me. I could heat their footsteps gaining up on me. I turned into an alleyway and hid in the shadows. I kept a quick jogging pace. From the shadows, a man with long black hair slipped out. He giggled softly. "Gihihi. Not this time midget…" I turned my heels and ran out.

I was back in the street and the mages saw me. I ran away in hopes of trying to lose them. I ended up sprinting to the heart of the city. There were benches, buildings, and trees that surrounded the area.

"There's no place to go Lauren. Especially in your condition, you won't make it far." A woman in scarlet hair emerged from a building. "We have you surrounded."

I looked around. She was right. Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Gray, Gajeel, and the red haired woman had we surrounded. They blocked every exit I could find.

"You need to come with us."

I wiped my sweat from my face and responded. "And what if I don't? What are ya'll going to do to me?"

Gray stepped closer to me. "You don't have choice. You are coming with us. You stole precious information that belongs to the Council."

I stared back at him in disgust. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Gray reached and grabbed the collar of my shirt. "Quit acting stupid. It was you who was walking on that path a couple days ago. You were all bruised up from the beatings the guards gave you. What are you going to do with the files?!"

I gulped and looked away. "Tch. I'm not telling you. But I did win the fight though."

"This isn't about winning. You have very secretive information. All we want is that information and we will let you go." Erza added. "That is a promise."

Gray sneered. "Maybe for you, but I'm not letting her off the hook so easily." He gripped my collar tighter. "Who exactly are you? After seeing your little fight back there, you have a lot to explain. Not to mention, we run into you in a random city and we find you stealing money, burning a city, and hear you claiming that you are evil. If you were really evil, you wouldn't have to fight for money. You could just steal it right? I think you owe us an explanation."

I bit my lip and kept my mouth shut. There was no way I could tell them what had happened. I can't tell them about everything. It was just cause chaos and confusion.

"Start talking! You lied to us this whole time! Who the heck is Lauren Guerrero?! She went on solo missions, moves around from guild to guild, is always alone, randomly showed up to the guild sleepless or hurt, and claims she has goals. Everything about you screams shady. You're hiding something and you are not telling us. What is it?" He shook me violently. I grabbed his arm and squeezed it. He let me go and stared at me. "There is no way a 105 pound woman could defeat a 250 pound man that easily or even take on so many men and still be able to live. I suggest you start talking or I'm taking this into my own hands."

"Shut up. You're freaking annoying." I growled.

"I have one last question to ask you." Gray looked up and his expression was as serious as ever. "Do you know a man with a large scar on his face?"

My body froze in fear. My stomach turned itself upside down. How does he know about him? Just as I was going to speak, someone cut me off.

"Well, if she isn't going to tell you, then I guess I will."

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 **When I read the fight scene, I always have to listen to a dubstep song from Excision. Typically, I listen to " _Headbanga"_ by Excision and Downlink. You don't have to do this, but it makes the scene like a gazillion times better. xD Anyways, enjoy this chapter!**


	21. Chapter 20

**-Normal POV-**

A man walked out from an alleyway. He had dark brown hair and a large scar from the bottom of his right eye all the way down to his neck. He stood about 20 yards from where the others were standing. "My name is Aoki and I'd be glad to tell you all about myself."

Gray's eyes flared up in anger. "It's you!"

"Now, now. I know what you are thinking, but it isn't like that. I just happen to run into you two by coincidence."

"I don't think this is coincidence. It's more like you are stalking her." Gray confessed. "What do you want with her?"

"First let me explain who I am. My name is Aoki and I have a special relationship with that girl standing right next to you." The wizards glared at Lauren, who had her head down. It was obvious that she was trembling with fear. "You see, I've know her for quite some time and I've been looking for her all these years. She ran away from me and I'm simply just trying to bring her back home." He said with complete calmness.

Lauren turned and paced herself to the man. Gray tried to hold her back, but Erza slapped his hands down. She stood next to the man with the scar shamefully.

"Lauren?! What's going on?! What's your relationship with this guy?" Gray demanded. Lauren looked away from her "friends".

"Like I said…" Aoki stood behind the short girl and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I have a special relationship with her." He winked at Gray and slid a hand down her sweats.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER!" Gray launched himself at the stranger. Luckily, Erza and Natsu held him back before he struck him. "Lauren! Don't do this to us! Are you okay with this? Is this all true?!"

Lauren stepped forward and faced the mages. "Everything he is saying is true. The relationship, the running away, everything." Her eyes were filled with humiliation, but soon turned into hate. "But he forgot to mention one thing." She turned around and stared at Aoki. "He forgot the time that I beat his butt into a pulp before I ran away. And today is that I'm going to finish him off because he has made my life a living hell for the past 16 years. After I'm done with him, I'm leaving."

Aoki smirked. "Oh, so after all this time you still want to run? How childish of you." Aoki snapped his fingers. Two men, who were a bit taller than Aoki, emerged from the shadows and in each of their arms they held a boy, who was a bit taller than Lauren, but way younger looking, bloodied and bruised all over his face. The boy lifted his head and croaked a couple words. "You see…" Aoki began. "I wasn't trailing you for no reason. I needed a reason to get you to come back to me." He walked over to the boy, grabbed his head, and pulled the boy's short brown and silver hair up. "Look how pathetic he is. Just like his…"

In a flash, Lauren jumped to the boy and punched one of the guards. The guard was sent flying backwards. She looked into the man's eyes. This had managed to spark fear and trepidation into his soul, so he took off running. The other guard dropped the boy and ran for his life. "Go to where the others are." She spoke to the boy. "Now. I'll take care of him."

The boy crawled and shuffled over to where the Fairy Mages stood. Natsu and Gray helped him up on his feet. "Let's help her out. She can't fight in her condition." The Dragon Slayer said as flames grew in his hands.

"No… She's in perfect condition to fight." The boy whispered in agony.

"How do you know kid? Look at her, she's practically exhausted." Gray added.

The boy shook his head. "You don't know her like I do. Trust me, she's going to be fine."

Lauren and Aoki stared into each other's eyes with determination and disgust. "Today, will be the day I defeat you." Lauren said. "I'll kill you if I have to."

"Go ahead. I'm looking forward to it." Aoki sneered. He charged at woman. Lauren crouched to dodge and punched him in his abdomen. The man flew back, but kept his balance. Aoki ran back to her and struck her in the face and went for a kick to the stomach. Lauren took the hit to the face, but escaped from his kick. She crouched to her knees and swept his leg. Aoki fell and Lauren jumped to strike a blow to his head. The man read the and rolled out of the way.

"You running away from me already?" Lauren laughed. "What a pansy."

"Now you've done it. I'm not going to go easy on you any longer." Aoki lowered his hands to the side of his body. "Black Dragon's Roar!" Black flames spewed from his mouth. Just as it was going to burn Lauren, she moved out the way. It had missed the mages by several inches, singing off a little piece of Erza's hair.

"Oh so that's how it is huh? You're such a loser if you have to resolve into using that." Lauren teased. "I guess two can play that game." Lauren tore off her torn white shirt. Underneath her sports bra, there were black streak and swirl like markings that consumed half of her left chest and arm. "The only difference is that I'm the real deal."

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 **DUN DUN DUN! ;)**

 **This chapter is shorter than usual :c but I couldn't help it. I apologize for any errors.**


	22. Chapter 21

"Agh!" The man toppled backwards and fell onto his butt. He quickly picked himself up before Lauren could attack once more.

Lauren brought her fist up and it combusted into a black flame. "Admit it Aoki. You're scared. You've always been scared of me since day one." She rapidly paced herself to him. "You're just mad because he chose me over you."

"I couldn't care less! I'm just trying to get back what's mine!" Aoki threw himself towards Lauren. She moved out the way and kneed him in the ribs. "Argh!" He fell to his knees and coughed violently. "Curse you girl. You're going to pay for this, mark my words…"

"No. I was never yours to begin with! You're going to pay." Both of the woman's fist grew in flames. The marks on her body began to take over her body slowly. It had now consumed her whole chest, left arm, and half of her neck. "I'm never going to forgive you for touching the boy." She brought her leg up and kicked Aoki in the stomach. The man rolled several yards. He grunted and gasped for air.

Aoki snickered and got to his feet. He brought up his pointer finger and held it to the wizards who were instigating. "Tell them Lauren. Tell them who you really are. Your little friends deserve to know. You can't keep it a secret for the rest of your life." Lauren stood glaring at him. "What? Cat got your tongue now? Well, if you aren't going to tell them, then I will." Aoki faced the Fairy mages. "Well, you see, Lauren is actually-"

"SHUT UP!" Lauren launched herself at the man. Aoki smiled with pure malice. Once she was a few feet away from the man, Aoki swung his arm in front of him. Dirt, which he collected from the ground when he fell, splashed into the woman's eyes. She stumbled all over the place. Lauren brought her hands up and attempted to remove the dirt from her dark brown eyes. Without much thought, Aoki swung his leg up and nailed her across the face.

"Stupid girl. That's where you belong." Aoki towered above her and smashed his foot on her chest. Lauren cried in pain and tried to get the man off of her, but he simply just kicked her across the head.

"NO! STOP!" The boy with brown and silver hair ran out. He pushed the man from behind. Aoki lost his balance and scrambled across the floor. The young man stood in front of the near unconscious body, protecting her from harm's way. "Don't you dare hurt her."

"Hey kid! You're gonna get yourself killed!" Natsu and Gray ran out to pull the boy back in.

"Black Dragon's Flamed Wall!" Aoki spit out flames. It had caused a black wall of separation between the boy and the Fairy Wizard's. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. This isn't for you Fairy Mages. Just watch from the sidelines because after this, you're next." He faced to the boy. "How pathetic. She couldn't protect herself and now she has to rely on you do it? Face it boy, you're nothing without her."

"I don't care what you say! If I have to kill you to protect her then I will."

Aoki roared in laughter. "You killing me? What can a pip squeak like you do? You're nothing special!"

With that said, Aoki ran to the boy with a flamed fist. He swung full force at the boy. The boy brought up his arm to block. Too stunned at what happened, he failed to see the boy's counterattack. His leg swept Aoki off his feet. The man tumbled backwards and immediately got on his feet. "Ah, I see. She's been training you huh? I would say a job well done, but it isn't enough." Aoki ran to him with his upper body glowing with a dark aura.

Just as he reached him, the boy threw a punch to Aoki's face. Aoki read his attack and with blinding speed, smashed his fist against the side of the boy's head. He held his head in agony and tried to regain balance. Aoki twisted his body and landed a solid kick to his stomach. The boy yelled in pain and collapsed. Aoki stood over the boy and placed his leg against his neck.

"You're so worthless, I mean, look at you. The reason you're only here is because she brought you into this world." He put force behind his foot and the boy struggled to breathe. "Now I'm here; therefore, I'm going to take you out it!" The boy began to gasp for air as Aoki applied pressure to his neck.

The body that had been laying still, now began to move. The woman got to her knees and then her feet. "Let the boy go." She demanded softly as she hung her head. "Now."

"So now you want more? Alright, I'll spare the brat's life for now." He lifted his foot up and headed towards Lauren.

Suddenly the air around the wizards got very cold. The black markings on her body began to engulf most of her body, only leaving part of her face untouched as well as her calves. "Santi… get back… now." She panted in rage.

The boy ran back. He kicked some dirt onto the black flames that surrounded the Fairies. "What's going on? What's that stuff growing on Lauren? More importantly, are you okay?!" Gray began. "Wendy can patch you up…"

Santi shook his head. "I'm alright. This is nothing. And to answer your question, you need to watch right now."

Lauren, who now stood still in the middle of the town, was now calm. "This is where I draw the line."

Aoki smirked at Lauren. "No, this is where I take you back." Out of nowhere, Lauren was now right in front of Aoki. She smashed her fist into his face and sent him flying. Before Aoki could fall, Lauren was yet again right next to him. She kneed him right in the spine, grabbed the man by the neck, and crushed him against him the floor. With every attack, the markings on Lauren's tan skin began to overwhelm the rest of her body.

Lauren grabbed Aoki by the collar of his tattered shirt. "How dare you talk to him like that. Nonetheless, how dare you lay a hand on the boy. This is the end." Her hands busted into flames. Again, she let the man drop to the floor and struck him in his jaw. Aoki fell back. Lauren walked and picked him up with a single arm. She flung the man to a nearby building, causing it to cave in.

The Fairy Tail wizards were shocked at what had happened. "Is Lauren even human?" Gajeel began as he gazed at Santi. "Say kid, what's your relationship with her? That pervert freak mentioned something about you being brought into this world. What's that about?"

Just as he was going to respond, a loud dinosaur like creature roared into the night sky. Everyone's eyes widened in fear. Up above them, an enormous creature plummeted to the sky and landed right behind Lauren.

Santi gripped Erza's hand. "This is really bad…"

"What do mean child? What's going on?" She responded as calmly as possible. All Santi did was point to the dinosaur like animal.

"LAUREN! WATCH OUT! THERE'S A… A…" Natsu was at a loss for words. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. None of the mages could believe it either. "It's… it's…" Natsu pointed to the creature.

"It's nice to see you Fairies again. It has been a while since we last fought." It spoke out with confidence. "Oh, I've seen you met the girl already." The creature was black and had blue tinted patterns along his body, which also circled around his eyes and wings.

Lauren's small, but lean body was now fully consumed by the black designs. Once they had finished submerging her, the color began to change into a neon blue. Stray dirt began to circle around her and form a small like dust tornado. Lauren's eyes, which were closed at the time, opened. Instead of them being her usual brown color, they were now a shade bright sky blue, just like the pigment of the markings. Her eyes were hungry.

They were starving for blood.

"In case you have not formally introduced yourselves, this is Lauren, the Black Dragon Slayer. The sole child of the Dragon King himself, Acnologia."

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 **Sorry for any mistakes, I got really tired towards the end xD**


	23. Chapter 22

"YOU'RE JOKING RIGHT?!" Gray cried out in fear and desperation. "THERE'S JUST NO WAY!"

The dragon laughed hysterically. "By judging the looks on your faces, I'm guessing she has never told you about it. That's understandable. It's not like she could tell anyone anyways. After all, she is the child of the Dragon King."

"What are your motives Acnologia?!" Erza questioned angrily. She had switched into her Black Wing Armor.

"Well, they have not changed. I want to rule this earth!" The Black Dragon roared violently into the starry night. "And I'll start by destroying you Fairies. Better yet, I'll have the girl kill you herself."

Lauren looked towards the wizards and her eyes became cold. The air around her grew thick. The ground beneath her glowed black and blue. A strong breeze blew past Lauren and everyone else.

Natsu and the others shivered in terror. "Do you all sense that magical presence? Is this all from Lauren?" Erza said.

"Yeah, I do feel it. It's so powerful that the hairs on my neck stood up." Wendy replied nervously. "I have a feeling this isn't going to end well…"

Lauren's face scrunched up in complete rage. Her eyes glowed bright blue and stared into the souls of her "friends". "NOW MY CHILD! STRIKE WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT!" Acnologia howled in madness.

In a flash, Lauren did as what she was told. She crouched to the floor, placed a hand on the ground, and pushed herself off. She was headed towards Fairy Tail. Santi rapidly made his way to the front of the group. He stuck his hands out by his side, to protect the others, and yelled from the top of his lungs. "STOP!" He then kicked up dust from the floor and into the air.

Just as she reached the mages, Lauren went missing, along with Santi. Everyone stood frozen in their places. When the dirt finally had settled, the wizards turned their heads in confusion. Lauren and the boy were nowhere to be found.

Acnologia stomped on the ground in anger. "WHERE HAS SHE RUN OFF TO?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE GIRL?!"

"How are we supposed to know?! She was going to kill us, but she vanished!" Natsu growled back. His fists grew into flames. "Well, it doesn't matter now because now I'm going to finish you."

"This isn't your fight." Fairy Tail looked over their shoulders. What they saw shocked them to the core. Lauren and the boy were walking side by side. The two of them walked until they were in between the Fairy mages and the dragon. Lauren was still the same as before. She was covered in blue designs, blue eyed, and her hair was now sliver. The boy, however, had half of his body covered in black designs. The left side of his legs, chest, and face were being swallowed by black dye. "This is something I have to do."

"I'm helping you out Mom." Santi responded.

Everyone's jaws dropped to the floor. "Lauren? Mom? What's the heck is going on?!"

Lauren looked back. "I'll explain after this." She looked at Santi. "I'm not going to argue with you now, but if things are getting bad, it's the end of your fight."

The Black Dragon sneered. "So you're planning to take me on? How cute. What are you going to do? Kill me?"

Lauren pointed to the dragon. "That's my plan. I'm going to take revenge on you for all those years you took away from me."

"I'd like to see you try!"

Lauren and Santi looked at each other. "Are you ready mijo?" She grabbed her son's hand.

He smiled mischievously. "Always Mama."

"Then let's do this. Let's show him what it means to be a Guerrero." She let go of Santi's hand. Lauren crouched to the floor. Santi did the same as his Mom. "BLACK DRAGON'S ROAR!". Black flames flew from Lauren's mouth and was headed towards Acnologia. In one motion, the black dragon flew up and dodged the attack.

"You're going to have to try harder than that!" The dragon cried out.

Suddenly from them flames, Santi emerged from them. "BLACK DRAGON'S IRON FIST!" His fist had hit the dragon in the chest. Taken by surprise, the dragon grunted in pain. He tried to fly away, but Santi had landed another punch to his stomach, which knocked the dragon closer to the ground where Lauren was.

"Go Mom!" Santi yelled. Lauren jumped and managed to hold onto Acnologia's tail. She climbed up and got onto his back. She screamed several words and proceeded to hit his back several times. The dragon roared in agony and crashed to the floor.

Lauren leapt off and met with Santi. Acnologia shifted and stood on all fours. "It seems you have grown much stronger than the last time we saw each other. The boy has lots of potential. It would be a shame if something were to happen…" Without much thought, Acnologia spewed out fire from his mouth. It was aimed to the boy. Lauren shoved him out the way and took the hit.

"MOM!"

"LAUREN!" Fairy Tail screamed in unison. When the fire died down, Lauren stood confidentially with her arms out. She didn't look injured, but her eyes were angry as ever.

"How dare you…" Lauren shrieked to the sky and fell. She was hunched over on her hands and knees panting heavily. The markings on skin were disappearing, but her body began to sizzle. Gray ran over to her side, but was stopped by her son.

"No you have to leave her alone. This is the most vital step." He assured him.

"Vital step? What step?" He desperately asked. "What's happening to her?!"

Erza walked over to Gray and put a hand on his shoulder. "Look at it this way, Mama Bear has to protect her cub at all costs." Gray looked at her dumbfounded.

Santi pointed to his Mom. "The transformation is starting."

Black patches of dragon skin appeared onto the woman's skin. Half of her face was covered, as well as parts of her chest, arms, and her right leg. On those patches were the blue designs, just like Acnologia's. Lauren's eyes were now completely blue and her wounds were healed. She stood up and faced the Dragon King.

"That's it. It all ends here." She charged at him. She threw punches and kicks at the dragon. Acnologia was thrown off balance. He swung his tail around to whip her, but she leaped over the attack. Her fists smashed faster and faster into the dragon's body. All the dragon could do was howl in frustration and spit a blue fireball at her.

Lauren jumped back and faced Acnologia. "Hey Natsu. I need a favor."

"Sure what's up?" He hurried over close to her.

She smiled and looked over her back. "Give me some of your flame."

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 **Fyi, mijo means "my son" in Spanish. It's a combination of mi and hijo put together. :)**


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